


Two Krus - Become One

by MaxiBrux



Series: Two Krus [3]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Destroying Eden, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 43,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22603207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaxiBrux/pseuds/MaxiBrux
Summary: THIRD AND FINAL PART OF TWO KRUS TRILOGYNow that Clarke has officially taken control of Wonkru, she has to make sure that there can be a future for all of her people and help the two krus become one.  Some people are a great help; others, not so much.  Some people can be trusted; others, not so much.  Some people are happy; others, not so much.  While trying to sort through the problems, Clarke must make sure that the children are protected, no matter the danger.
Relationships: Abby Griffin/Marcus Kane, Bellamy Blake/Echo, Charmaine Diyoza & Clarke Griffin, Clarke Griffin & Indra, Clarke Griffin & Madi, Clarke Griffin/OMC, Emori/John Murphy (The 100), Monty Green/Harper McIntyre, Raven Reyes/Miles Ezekiel Shaw
Series: Two Krus [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1497572
Comments: 71
Kudos: 52





	1. Trying to get Organised

Clarke called a meeting with Madi, Charmaine and Indra: she decided to be open with them all.

“I want to formally nominate Charmain to be the leader of the people of Becca’ston, maybe be called Islanders, and Indra of Wonkru. Islanders and Wonkru are part of Clarke’skru. I also want to formally nominate Madi to be my heir, once she turns 18 and I will be training her in the meantime. What do you think?” Clarke asked.

“I think it’s a good idea that you nominate an heir and that she be trained” Charmaine said. “Not sure how I feel about being the leader of the Islanders, some might object to that.”

“I don’t want to be your heir until I am a lot older and what happens if you die before then?” Madi asked.

“I think that Charmaine and Indra should have the right to choose a regent until such a time as they deem you ready to take control after you have turned 18” Clarke said.

“Why not either of your sons?” Indra asked.

“Both Blake and Griff show distinct traits in specific areas. Even when she was their age Madi was asking more broadly ranged questions, questions that looked to more than a narrow vision of the here and now. A leader needs to think about the future, not just the now; the wider world, not just the here. I was trained from a very early age to think about all the possible consequences of choices, both mine and others, and I think that Madi has a natural ability to do it. I could give you a list of various people who should never be Regent, as well as note a few who I think would be good short term Regents, Marcus and Monty would both be good for different reasons; I don’t really know anyone from Wonkru. If you accept, you should also think who could take over from you and let me know so I can get to know them” Clarke pushed.

“None of my former people could take a leadership role” Charmaine sighed. “Shaw could possibly hold things together until the leader could take over, but purely short term. Do you think Bellamy could do it?”

Clarke thought hard. “I think if the Islanders stay small he could do it, as long as there were clear foundational laws that he wouldn’t be able to break. I don’t think he could be an effective leader once the Islanders get to being more than about 120 without falling into his default of showing preference for his own, and by that I mean Spacekru. Perhaps once we grow some more, a more effective leader will present themselves. It’s even possible that one or two of your Eligius people will grow and show potential. You haven’t said much, Indra” Clarke nudged.

“I think you are correct to have named leaders for each of your villages, and to train Madi to be your heir. I think that you will have to get more people from Wonkru to join you here, and possibly to also have another village, although I think that one village will be strongly in favour of Madi taking over now and receiving the flame to be a true commander. I am sorry to say, but I think that Gaia may be your biggest opponent now” Indra was sad.

“If I took the flame, would it be possible for me to remove and destroy it?” Clarke asked.

“I think that once you take the flame it will be something that you will become protective of and would not be able to give it up” Indra suggested.

“I did before” Clarke reminded Indra. “As soon as the City of Light was destroyed and I was able to speak I said the passphrase to remove it. I should have destroyed it then. I admit that I do not want to have it again. All those voices in my head, ugh! No, the past Commanders were all about finding the quickest way to end conflict instead of the better way and violence was usually the answer. There’s not enough of us to be able to go down that route again. We need to find answers that keep as many of us as possible alive and healthy.”

“I think it might be best for you to speak to Wonkru and tell them everything you know about taking the flame and why you will not take it again and why you will not allow Madi to take it until she is 18, and what will happen if she does, and if she does not” Indra decided.

“Madi, what do you think should happen once you reach 18 and if you decide to take the flame? I want you to bear in mind that many of my people do not believe in the flame at all, or they understand exactly what it is and will not trust it” Clarke said.

“I think that if I were to take the flame, I would have to be the leader of Wonkru only. The only way to lead Clarke’skru with the flame if you are still a good leader and have no inclination to retire would be by bloodshed and we cannot afford that. How would you feel about stepping down to me, Indra?” Madi asked, pleasing everyone there and demonstrating why Clarke was preparing to train Madi to be her heir.

“If you took the flame I would bow down to you as my true Commander and if your orders were that I should consider Wanheda as the overall leader then I would accept your instruction” Indra intoned. “But if you were to attempt full control over all of Clarke’skru, then I would follow your lead down which ever path it took us.”

“Then I believe that I would never want to take the flame” Madi said. “If by its mere presence in my neck it persuaded someone as sensible as you, Indra, to follow my every command, no matter how bad it is, then I think it actually needs to be destroyed” Madi sounded scared.

“Don’t worry, Madi, we will talk about this again when you reach 18 and if you are still of the same opinion, then we will find a way to destroy it. Okay, so first I’ll speak with the Islanders to let them know the hierarchy, without mentioning that I will be training Madi as my heir. Charmaine, the Islanders will, at some point need to build another settlement somewhere since we should outgrow the island one day, perhaps once we reach more than 100 we should seriously start looking, maybe on the other side of the river so the Islanders will be of either Becca’ston or whatever name is decided for the other settlement” Clarke spoke as she thought.

“Perhaps we should divide the labour force so that some of them work primarily with me preparing for long term issues while the others work direct to you with the day to day management and upkeep of our settlement, that would apply to both of you. What do you think?”

“I think that it would be good to keep a clear chain of command for everyone” Charmaine agreed. “If I needed one of your team for something then I would ask you, and vice-verse. I think we are at the point where people would feel more settled if they knew what their individual role was.”

“I agree” Indra said. “My people have always been happier knowing what their place is, how they contribute to the clan’s well being.”

“Very well, I’ll think about who I want from each settlement to work with me, but Indra, I want you to think about whether you should take charge in Phia or Polis in the short term and select a deputy to take charge of the other. You will need skilled workers in Phia. I will need strong, obedient workers for my work. We’ll talk more about numbers and names tomorrow” Clarke said.

“Indra, you and I should talk more before I address Wonkru, but my first thoughts are that those devoted to the flame should stay in Polis, at least for the time being, making sure that they know how to work the farm and the radio so that they can call for assistance if it’s needed. Most of the others can be either be moved to Phia as homes are built and food is available or join the Islanders. When numbers increase, a site for another settlement halfway between Phia and Becca’ston could be chosen. In the meantime, I am ordering the removal of all guns. Swords and knives, except for working knives, are to be kept in the training room only. Me, you and your guard on duty only may carry a weapon around. Which reminds me, Charmaine, you will need to choose three guards, one of who will be on duty at all times. Only you and the guard on duty may carry a weapon, otherwise they are to be locked away except for when training. Echo will not like that. The scavengers should be armed just in case whilst they are out. Madi, I know you don’t like it, but the same rule has to apply to you, armed only when travelling or training. We need to control the accidental or angry deaths. Anyone who wants to fight, do it by unarmed combat but really, energy used in fighting could be better used in helping to build homes for our people.”

Clarke addressed everyone at Becca’ston in one group. She knew that her mother would feel slighted, perhaps Kane, too, and also her former close friends in Spacekru, but she would not let that deter her. The only people she would favour would be her children and everyone else could suck it up.

“With me now having control of Wonkru there is too much for me to handle without help” Clarke began. “I have therefore decided that Charmaine will have overall control of the day to day issues of running Becca’ston, and Indra will take responsibility for Wonkru. I will make the laws, and they will apply to all people, Charmaine and Indra will make the rules for the individual settlements provided they fall within my laws. My first new law is that no one excepting leaders’ and their guards will be allowed to carry weapons within the settlements, that includes knives, swords and guns. When travelling away from the settlement, then weapons should be taken. There will be training areas where the appropriate weapons will be stored. Anyone carrying a weapon outside those parameters will be punished. Charmaine and Indra will decide the punishments but they may not include death or permanent marking. In fact death and permanent marking as punishment will only be allowed in the event of murder, torture or rape and must be agreed with me each time.

“Some people from both groups will work direct to me for the carrying out of long term strategy work, that includes the scavengers. Others will work direct to Charmaine or Indra for the day to day management. You will be informed in the next few days what your job or jobs will be for the next couple of seasons. If needs arise in the other group, you may be asked to move, temporarily or otherwise.

“The people of Becca’ston need a crew name: I thought of calling us Islanders, but I am not sold on it and leave it to Charmaine to decide, subject to my approval. We could be called ‘Spacekru’, but the little gang who already call themselves that may object. Like I said, Charmaine will decide.

“Another law will be that if you want to eat, you work. A child’s primary job is to learn their lessons and to grow; a pregnant woman’s main job is to grow the baby; a sick or injured person’s job is to get well. As long as they do their job, they will be fed, housed and clothed. Charmaine will be responsible for making sure everyone in Becca’ston under her command has a job. I’m not saying Charmaine has to do everything herself, she may delegate; in fact I expect both Charmaine and Indra to delegate and set up their own chain of command. Any questions?”

There was silence as everyone tried to digest Clarke’s words. It was Echo who finally spoke: “Did you really say that I may not carry my weapon with me at all times?”

“I did” Clarke confirmed. “As long as we are at peace there is no need for you to carry your weapon as you go about your day to day life, so you will not. Anything else?”

“Why Diyoza? Why not Bellamy?” Murphy asked.

“Because I trust Charmaine” Clarke left the rest to go unsaid, but everyone heard it. Some smirked, some looked angry, others – including Bellamy - looked sad.

“She tortured us” Murphy pushed.

“Charmaine, did you torture these people?” Clarke asked.

“Yeah, but none were tortured as much as you” Charmaine answered.

“And who pushed the crate out from under your feet, Murphy? We’ve all done things that we wish we hadn’t, some more than others; and we’ve all suffered at the hands of our so called friends, some more than others; but we move on and forgive. We don’t forget, we can’t, but we forgive and get over it as we expect others to forgive us. If we were to trust only those who have never hurt us, the list of potential leaders is mighty small; in fact, of all the adults I know it is only one; Harper, do you want to take over leadership and be in charge?” Clarke finished the point as Harper vigorously shook her head in rejection of Clarke’s offer. “Right, if any of you have a problem with Charmaine, related to the time since she joined us, let me know, otherwise put it in the past where it belongs. Bellamy, when I have to go away, you will be responsible for Blake and Griff, we will talk about the details later but we will not both be away at the same time, Charmaine will be responsible for Madi. That’s it for now; everything here goes on as normal except you now answer to Charmaine as well as me.”

“Listen, if anyone has any ideas on what we can call our people, let me know and if we have more than one that sounds good we’ll put it to a vote” Charmaine said. “I’ll come round tomorrow to start talking to people about what needs to be done and so I can start to allocate responsibilities and assignments, if you feel particularly strongly about anything within Clarke’s laws, let me know and I’ll consider it.”

As expected, there were some mumblings and grumblings, but there seemed to be nothing too much untoward so Clarke was reasonably content for the time being.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to fall into place as the krus prepare for the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So very sorry for the long delay in coming back to this story, but I will now focus more on this until it is finished. Remember, this story is more of a string of thoughts and ideas with little to no editing. This means that there will be errors, plot holes and even continuity problems. I hope you enjoy it anyway.

Clarke was pissed about it but she agreed that she needed Bellamy to be in her squad. It would have been easier if she could have taken Echo, too, but she was needed more on Charmaine’s team since Wonkru could spare more warrior type guards to form her own guard while Charmaine’s kru could not. Emori, Murphy and Shaw were also assigned to her team along with four others from Eligius.

Indra suggested six people who she thought would follow Clarke’s orders now that Clarke was the undisputed leader of Wonkru. She suggested that Clarke could duel with them all to assert her authority if she thought that they were not respectful and obedient, but Indra didn’t think it was likely to be needed. Clarke reiterated that the main need she had was that they be obedient and strong. She didn’t mind being questioned once the work was done, if any of them wanted to talk about why they were doing what they were doing, over the evening meal, then Clarke was happy to keep them informed. 

Before Clarke, Indra and the others from Polis left, Clarke gave instructions to Bellamy and the rest of her crew. Two who could drive were to take the truck and go west to old Montana, Washington, Idaho and Oregon where there used to be massive forests. They were to look for tree stumps. If the stumps showed signs of life they were to leave them alone, after photographing them and noting their location on the tablet; but if they looked completely dead they were to dig up the roots and slice off as much of the charcoal as possible and collect as much dead wood as they can. If they filled the truck fairly easily and there were more stumps then return trips should be planned. Clarke didn’t say, but it could turn out that traversing the continent looking for wood could turn out to be a full time job for some people.

Indra said that there was probably no more than 20 warriors left in Wonkru. Of-course they could all fight to some degree, but from what she saw of Madi’s training she could beat all but the very best. Clarke nodded her head to acknowledge Indra’s words but didn’t point out that Madi knew to hide her ability when training and would beat the very best that Wonkru now had to offer except, perhaps, Gaia.

“What do you think of the idea of leaving Gaia to be in charge in Polis and being given specific responsibilities for maintaining the bunker while you lead in Phia?” Clarke asked. “I think she would have the respect and obedience of others, but I have some concerns about her teaching all the young children who would stay there, though.”

Indra almost smiled. “I was thinking something similar but wondering if the orphans could be relocated to Beccaston. There are seven of them and they are kept as a group of orphans rather than as seven individual youngsters. Their parents all died in the pit. The youngest is nine, the eldest is fourteen and is a handful. She will need firm handling.”

“I will meet them all during this visit and decide who to place them with. Will Gaia accept the responsibility of maintaining the bunker? It is likely that most of Wonkru will have to winter there again since there is not likely to be sufficient wood to keep everyone warm above ground, so even empty rooms will need to be kept ready, and the excess food will need to be preserved for when the farm fails again.”

“Now that Gaia is expecting her own child, I think she would relish the idea of homemaking, especially since she will also be preparing to house and feed her crew over the winter” Indra said. “If you agree, I will ask her to do that and to choose up to 25 more people who will stay and work under her command until such a time as all of Wonkru moves to Phia.”

“That’s good, just make sure that my people are chosen first” Clarke agreed. “Jackson, can you make sure that someone in Gaia’s crew is well versed in first aid? I don’t know if you want to talk to her before she chooses her team and suggest someone or just make sure to train someone afterwards. I’ll leave that to you and Indra to decide since you know the people best.”

“I suggest Nylah” Jackson said and Clarke thought about the lovely woman who helped heal her after the mountain. “She and Gaia seem to get on and as long as both are given specific instructions on what to do by their Commander they will follow them. Do you agree, Indra?”

“Yes, I think Nylah is an excellent suggestion” Indra concurred.

At the bunker everyone was gathered to hear the announcement.

“As you know, Blodreina Octavia challenged Wanheda Clarke to solo gonplei for control of both krus: Blodreina Octavia lost. We of Wonkru are now part of Clarke’skru. The other people of Clarke’skru will soon have a new kru name” Indra said. There was some muttering but there seemed to be no outright discontentment. “Wanheda Clarke has declared that Charmaine will lead the other kru, and I shall lead Wonkru. Wanheda Clarke will decide all laws that both krus must follow, but Charmaine and I will make the rules for our individual kru, as long as they fall within the laws. Wanheda has so far declared three laws: no guns or other weapons to be carried unless training or travelling, no death penalty or permanent marking for breaking any law except for murder, torture or rape; and if you don’t work, you don’t eat. The job of a child is to learn their lessons, the job of the sick or injured is to get well; and the job of a pregnant woman is to grow the baby. They can also do some other light work as they are able. Everyone else will be given job to do. Wanheda Clarke and I will talk and meet with people so they know what they will do to contribute to the clan. Wanheda Clarke, do you wish to speak?”

Clarke nodded and stepped forward. For about ten seconds, Clarke stood and just looked at her people in silence: they were starting to get nervous wondering if they had done anything to offend her. When Clarke thought she had let them stew long enough she spoke.

“If anyone wishes to challenge me, do so with honour. I will tolerate no behind the scene plots and no attack on any child, particularly my children. That includes any attempt to force or persuade them to take the flame. I have had the flame and I have no wish to bear it again and will never allow my children to do so until they are at least 18 years old and have spoken to me about it beforehand. I know the circumstances of your past made the flame desirable, perhaps necessary, but we are in different circumstances and we do not need a leader being pushed into believing that the quickest way to solve issues and being the most deadly is the best way to go. That era has gone. I want us to live in a time of peace so that we can work towards prosperity without us constantly having to look over our shoulders in case death is loitering ready to take us.

“For the time being, people will be divided into four groups: one group will work with me to plan and prepare for the long term of our peoples; one group will work with Charmaine in Beccaston to keep that settlement working day to day; another group will work with Indra in Phia. That group will start off with just a few people as they plan and prepare for the settlement of most of Wonkru. More workers will be added as Indra needs them; and the final group will stay in Polis for the time being. The leader for Polis will be responsible for overseeing work on the farm, preserving any extra food for when the time comes that the farm fails or it is needed in Phia and keeping the bunker in a well maintained order since it is likely that those in Phia will need to return to Polis for the next winter again. Like Indra said, she and I will talk to people about where they will work. If any of you have strong views, let us know and we will try to accommodate you but I make no promises. That is all for now.”

Indra said that Gaia accepted her assignment; she also said that Gaia thought it right to wait until life had settled to raise the question of there being a true Commander again. Clarke wasn’t sure that Gaia accepted the timing of five more years to approach Madi, or if she would just wait until next year. But Clarke was sure that as long as Gaia did nothing underhand and force the flame onto either her or Madi then they could bat the idea away again. If necessary, Clarke would destroy the flame.

The six people that Indra thought might be appropriate to work directly for and with Clarke all proved to be what she wanted. Kochi apologised for not being able to accompany Clarke on her last journey to the green patch but had been unwell. Clarke thanked Kochi for her consideration and told her how much she missed Kochi for that trip.

Clarke told them what she had planned for removing assets from the valley. She emphasised the need for safety precautions. “If you die because you did not take my rules on safety seriously you not only forfeit your own life but may end up costing someone else theirs” Clarke said. “I know that the protective clothing means that we can’t get as much work done as we would like, but it does mean that we will be alive to do some more the next day, and the one after that. Just because you cannot see a danger, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. If something can’t be done safely, we don’t do it. This is a direct order, is that clear?”

Clarke looked at the six individuals and made sure they all agreed. Clarke hoped that was one problem solved.

Clarke insisted that all the six from her group, plus at least four from each of the two Wonkru groups learn how to use a hand held radio so that everyone could keep in touch with their group leader.

She next wanted all of her six from Wonkru to be able to drive. Clarke gave Kochi the task of making sure they were all competent. At some point she would make sure that Shaw, or Raven, gave them basic maintenance lessons as well. Clarke made sure that Kochi could remember all the safety precautions they took and had Kochi make sure the others knew them too.

“If you get a worm inside you, you will be killed and your body burned. It will mean having to use precious resources to make sure the worm is burnt so I will be unhappy. If I am there, I may be able to save you but I may not be able to. I could not save Ori. No one else has the skills to be able to save you and I am hoping I can trust you to do the work and keep yourself safe without my supervision so that I can organise more projects” Clarke said. “I don’t want to take you away from any partner you have beyond what is necessary so I need to know if any of you have a chosen.”

They all looked at each other a little shocked as if they couldn’t comprehend that Clarke would take such a thing into consideration when planning work.

“I want my people to be happy and if a little bit of planning makes it possible for them to be happy them I will do that” Clarke sounded a little exasperated. “Well, are any of you in a relationship that you prefer that I plan to allow you to spend as much time together as possible?”

“We are not yet chosen but I am in a relationship with Rena who has been asked to go to Phia to make sure that there is enough water for everyone for drinking and for washing. It will be a boring job, Indra says but it is important” Cavendish said. “I would like to be able to spend time with her, but I know that sometimes the needs of the kru must come first.”

“The needs of the kru always come first but if you can get what you want without the needs of the kru being compromised I will do what I can to give it to you. Does anyone have a reason for wanting to be based either in Polis, Phia or Beccaston or does it not matter?” Clarke asked the others.

They all shook their heads. “Very well, you will be based in Phia and Beccaston. I shall inform Indra. You will be working in twos together with one or two from the islanders, decide between you and let me know what the pairs will be sometime tomorrow; the first pair to go on a mission will be Kochi plus whoever she is partnered with. I need to know if you will be able to navigate by the sun and stars because there is no recognisable landscape. The rover will mark the number of clicks you’ve driven and you will be given broad instructions noting the distance and direction. You need to work out what to do if you think you’ve gone wrong, if you run out of rations or water, if the rover breaks down, the weather takes a turn for the worse, all those things, you need to be confident that you will be able to get home again safely. Don’t worry, I won’t let you go until I’m sure you will be able to handle yourself for all reasonably foreseeable eventualities. There will be some training in Beccaston so that you have basic knowledge on how to look after the rover and to reinforce what Kochi tells you about checking for worm eggs. Until we get there, I want you six to spend time together talking about the issues I mentioned, noting any areas of weakness so that they can be worked on before you go on missions. We’ll leave for Beccaston in three days.” 

Clarke knew that she had confused her crew, but that was alright: Clarke needed to know them, know how much to trust them, and this was one of her little tests. She wasn’t expecting them to be perfectly knowledgeable but she did want to know that they would be honest about weaknesses.

Clarke spoke to Indra about the team and mentioned that Cavendish was in a relationship with Rena.

“Rena asked if she could be separated from Cavendish because she wished to no longer be with him” Indra said.

“Then she needs to tell him that because I’ve just agreed that the team could be partly based in Phia so that he could be with her. She has until tomorrow and she is to come to me once she has told him so that I can let my team know that they will be primarily based in Beccaston with visits to Phia and Polis.” Clarke hoped that it didn’t make Cavendish become a liability or she would have to rethink her plans.

Luckily, although upset, Cavendish didn’t seem to let his breakup with Rena interfere with his work.

Clarke’s team all admitted that they were a little nervous about being sent on missions without natural landmarks to help guide them. Clarke was glad they felt that way and said they would be given help to learn how to navigate as well as survival in the new reality. They were not looking forward to the learning, but they were looking forward to actually doing something useful for their people. It was an attitude that Indra said that most of the people felt.

On the journey to Beccaston, Clarke talked to her team, pointing out the slight changes in the contours of the land and the views of the hills and mountain ranges.

“You will soon become familiar with them the more journeys you take” Clarke pointed out. “You will also soon get to feel the changes in the atmospheric pressure to alert you to changes in the weather. The earth is even more harsh and unforgiving than it was in the past and you must learn to adapt quickly.

Raven had repaired the second truck and Shaw returned from his adventure with the news that he found many shipping containers, most of which appeared to be intact. Clarke asked if he had any thoughts on how they could be transported which led to a fierce debate about the use of pulleys and leverage. The end result was that they could be loaded onto the truck individually and taken to wherever Clarke said they needed to go.

“Phia” Clarke said. “The first three go to Phia to be waterproofed shelter for the first workers.” Indra was so pleased when she was informed – although she did have to be told what shipping containers were.

After the boys were in bed, Clarke sat with her team (including Shaw and Raven until they could decide exactly who they should work for), Madi and Charmaine for a quick debrief.

“Why did you not suggest that the ship move the containers?” Charmaine asked.

“Because I asked Shaw for ideas on how to transport them. I prefer not to use the ship because of the use of the hydrazine and if it was agreed that the containers couldn’t be moved using brute force and the solar powered trucks then I would suggest the ship. I would like to use the ship for the transportation of the logs. Since a group will be there for a while, they could park the ship by the western edge of Eden, and sleep in there. I should like to talk about the possibility of Raven making a chain saw or two since it will make working on the ground that much easier” Clarke said.

“I actually think we have some, somewhere on the ship” Spike said. “I’m not sure what they were intended for, but I’m pretty sure that there is a plethora of tools. Can someone access the computer to check what is there and where they are?”

“I’ll do that in the morning” Shaw said. “I also know where we can find the raw ingredients to make cement. I don’t know if it was destroyed in the apocalypses, is that the plural for apocalypse, but it might be worth sending out a team to investigate.”

“We can keep that on the list of things to do: we can also add checking out the old coal mines. I know coal is not a long term solution but it could help until we can get more solar power and some wind power up and running” Clarke said.

“Should I do that when you are here to look after Blake and Griff since I might be away for a while” Bellamy said.

“No, I’ll have Murphy and someone else go. I want you to focus on the Smithsonian, unless you finish that quite quickly. The long term potential for things you could find there is important. Okay, Shaw, you give the co-ordinates for the potential cement quarry and any old coal mines that are close by or en route to Murphy. Murph, can you pick who you want with you when you go and check them out. If we’re lucky and the samples prove useful, we can then send a truck with two of the stronger guys to load up. You know, I think we’re going to need another truck. Ideas?” Clarke asked.

“An enclosed trailer to be pulled by one of the rovers might be easiest in the short term” Shaw suggested.

“Good idea, you work with Raven to design one for you to build using it as an opportunity to help my Wonkru team learn. Raven, we know you won’t be patient with explaining, hence Shaw doing the building without you. Shaw, make a note if any of them seem to have a knack for mechanics and if any of the rest of you have a particular interest in it, let it be known” Clarke said. “Anything else?”

“I think Shaw should take Indra, Monty and I up to the ship so that we can have a good look around for anything that we think might be useful, both for here and for Phia. There’s bound to be somethings useful to help with the building and I want more electricity here” Charmaine said.

“In that case call Indra and arrange with her to bring one of her builders so that you can go ASAP. I will be here for at least the next two weeks so you can be away any time then. Anything else?”

There were no more issues raised but Clarke could see that the Wonkru team were talking amongst themselves. It could be that they were bonding, or it could be that they were separating from the rest. She would address that the next day as her team all started to work together.

Echo was still pissed that she wasn’t allowed to carry her weapon with her at all times so was very glad to have the opportunity to take that anger out on the training field. Clarke was the only one to last more than ten minutes with Echo: not even the Wonkru people could hold their own against her.

“Very well done, Echo” Clarke said. “I think you are perfect to help train the others into how to defend themselves, and how to attack when necessary – although I do hope that it is never necessary. I think part of Wonkru’s problem is lack of strength, do you agree?”

Echo, surprised that Clarke had asked her opinion replied honestly. “I think that is definitely part of it, poor nutrition, but I also think most of the best fighters from Wonkru were probably killed by the worms on the march to Eden.”

“Good point. I want you to also help with unarmed combat: the Eligius people should be good at that, and I know that Charmaine is. Talk to her about it.”

Echo watched as Clarke walked away, not even breathing hard from their bout and her respect for their leader grew.

Bellamy loved exploring the basements of the Smithsonian; or at least the parts that he could access. It was clear that Clarke was correct in thinking that there would be much that could useful to them: old tools; old tech and a surprisingly large store of sheets of plain paper! In many cases there were details of how somethings worked so it would be a lot easier for the mechanics to replicate them. Bellamy decided to ask Clarke if they would be able to use the Eligius machines to clear away all the rubble so that they could access all the basements. Even if the things they found were not useful in themselves, they could be dismantled and repurposed. It was definitely a good idea of Clarke’s to investigate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any ideas on what I can call the people of Becca'ston? Grateful for any suggestions.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Members of Clarke'skru do some necessary thinking and some talking; some think and talk about things that they really shouldn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OzElektra asked for more perspectives of what was happening and she was right: their voices needed to be heard.
> 
> As I've said before, this story has no real planning (other than perhaps two or three points for the whole story) so what the characters say is often a bit of a surprise to me. As long as it doesn't go against the main theme, or if it does and changing it only makes the story better, I just let it stay. Of-course it makes it harder to avoid plot holes, but never mind, it's fiction and purely for entertainment.

Clarke spoke to those she had identified as being potential foster parents/mentors for the eight orphans in Wonkru. Carter took a little persuading.

“I completely respect your views about becoming a parent outside of a committed relationship” Clarke assured him. “I am naturally disappointed that my next child won’t have you contribute your excellent genes and temperament but I do think this is an admirable opportunity for you to help nurture the next generation.”

“I admit that it is a tempting thought; but 12 is such a difficult age for children. How would she feel about me trying to discipline her? I could not be her father so she would resent me trying” Carter said.

“Sara is very shy and gets picked on by the others. She has no desire to be a warrior and would rather draw, but that is silly according to everything she has previously been taught. She needs encouragement to open up to trying new things so that she can find something that she do to contribute to the well being of the clan when she is older and be able to continue to draw, perhaps move into artistry or graphic illustrations as a part time job or hobby. In any case she should be encouraged. I think your quiet, gentle nature and for her to be someone’s primary focus is just what Sara needs.”

Carter smiled and with an exasperated look at Clarke he mentally wondered if anyone had ever effectively said ‘no’ to her. “Very well, I shall give it a go. I only hope that poor girl does not live to regret it.”

Placing the other children was a bit more difficult.

Abby and Marcus initially balked at taking two, particularly the 14 year old girl who felt she was an adult and should not require a guardian (although Clarke had previously agreed with Shay that she did need someone to help her discover where her talents lay and to help her make the most of them, be a mentor and not a parent) but were thrilled with the idea of helping to mould the young ten year old Malc. Clarke also thought that they regarded it as a bit of a second chance to make up for their errors in how they treated the 100.

Charmaine was completely opposed to the idea that she should take on the responsibility of a nine year old; especially given that when Clarke was away Madi was turned over to her care (not that Madi needed much looking after). All opposition fell away when Clarke mentioned that the young girl’s name was Faith and she wanted to be a big sister. It did mean that should Charmaine have another daughter there was no option but to name her Charity, so she prayed for a son.

One of the boys, Rayne, reminded Clarke so much of Aiden and she immediately decided that he must be under the care and tutelage of Indra. Indra needed a second to help her see to the future and Clarke was sure that Rayne would prove to be a very good general in due time. 

Guardianship of Ethan passed to Monty, although there was very little guarding going on, more making sure that Ethan had everything he needed, someone he could talk to, and a teacher: it was something that Monty was very good at. It did leave Harper with a little gap in her life, but she was trying to get pregnant so Clarke had not wanted to give her the additional responsibility just yet.

Clarke tried to practically order Jonesy to accept the guardianship of eight year old Deke. Clarke pointed out that it would be a good way for him to demonstrate that he was good father material. He didn’t have to be Deke’s dad, but he did have to promise to always have Deke’s back, be his favourite uncle. Jonesy did say that he didn’t want the responsibility of having another child to put first when he would always put his own blood child first. They agreed that he would therefore take on the role of mentor to 13 year old Joe who would also expect to put the wellbeing of a young child ahead of himself.

It was Kara who said she would take Deke. She would need someone to nurture when she had to give up her baby to Egan “and he’s a good kid” Kara said. “He would probably enjoy working with me, Monty and Ethan in farm.”

“Don’t forget that Griff also works in the farm” Clarke reminded Kara.

That point reminded Clarke that she needed to speak to Egan about what he would do while he was on missions after the baby was born.

“If my missions could be relatively close to home then I would like to take the baby with me, papoose style where possible, have a portable play pen that can come with us. I guess a bit like you must have done with the twins, although I know you also had Madi to help you” Egan said.

Given her history, Clarke didn’t think that she could argue with the point but she did say that Egan should talk to someone to find an aunt or uncle who could step in when that wasn’t possible.

Egan first went to talk to Echo, given that she was the biological mother, but she was appalled at the idea that she would play any role in the upbringing of the baby. Kara was more receptive and agreed to be thought of as the baby’s aunt and stand by child minder, with Deke being the baby’s cousin.

The whole issue with the children brought home to Clarke that she needed to make sure that there was some degree of uniformity in all the education of minors. She decided to set out a list of what she wanted everyone to learn, and that included adults who had missed out for whatever reason, but beyond that it would be up to Indra and Charmaine. She warned them that that was what she was going to decree and asked for ideas on what they thought should be universal.

Indra surprised Clarke by saying that everyone should be taught to speak and write the same language. Given that all the written words were in gonasleng, she thought that English should be the primary language. Charmaine countered by saying that everyone should also be taught to speak trig.

That evening, after the young children had settled to bed and everyone was preparing for their own rest and relaxation, Kochi asked her leader why she had asked the people she had to take care of the orphans and didn’t ask those from Wonkru, except for Kara who had been Skaikru before.

“Everyone asked will be based at one place for the majority of the time. These youngsters will be uprooted from the life they have known, most of the people they have known, and I want them to learn to enjoy the stability that comes from knowing that they will not be abandoned again; even if it is for a short time while their guardian, carer, mentor goes away for their work. Kara has chosen to stay here since here is where the majority of the work will be, at least in the short term and when she needs to make trips to Polis or Phia, she can take Deke with her. It will be possible to ensure that his education is not missed while in those places. I don’t think it would be possible to take one to the places you will be going to, at least in the short term” Clarke replied.

Kochi thought about it and decided that Clarke was correct: and it confirmed something that she had heard mentioned before; the children came first. Every decision had to be made with the welfare of the children being the primary consideration. Kochi knew that it was the right thing to do; but very hard in practice. Sometimes people just wanted to save themselves, or their own children but they did not always give consideration to other children. She would see how long it would last before deciding if she liked it.

Kochi then looked at Cavendish: he was hurt, but luckily not heartbroken, at Rena’s decision to end their relationship. Kochi could understand why Rena had done it but thought that she might come to regret it later. Cavendish was a good man, an honourable man and while there were others, there was not that many of them left that Kochi thought a woman could afford to pass one up. Her chosen was gone and she would have to find a way to get through the future alone, or to settle for a second choice.

Kochi had heard the story of how Clarke’s chosen, Bellamy, had thought that she had died in Praimfayer and had mourned her then gone on to choose another, Echo. Kochi wondered if she would have the fortitude to choose another like Bellamy had, or if she would be like Clarke, alone. Although Clarke was not alone; she had her three children and she was apparently trying to have more.

Kochi could do that, she thought. When her travelling time was through, she should be strong enough to take another lover so that she too could have children to be her life. But then she thought about how Gaia had said that she had not lain with a man and that her baby was given to her by Wanheda’s magic, command of life as well as death, so perhaps Clarke could help her have a baby without lying with a man, too.

Life was definitely strange and full of challenges, but at least it seemed to be happier, and with so much more purpose, than life under the rule of Blodreina.

Indra spoke with Jackson about Clarke’s plans for the future. “Will it work?” she asked simply.

“There is no reason to think otherwise as long as we stay on top of the potential nay sayers; Gaia being the most dangerous, I think” Jackson said. “I would also worry about Gaia’s followers, too, but they will follow Gaia’s lead.”

“You’re right. I think Clarke also plans to destroy the flame” Indra added.

“Yes, and I think she will be right to do so. If we want peace, then we need to do it without the flame getting in the way. As long as the flame exists, there will be the potential for someone to use it as an excuse for mutiny, potentially setting Clarke’s children against each other and her which I can’t think could possibly turn out for the best” Jackson said as he thought about the Blake siblings being turned against each other and wondered how Bellamy was faring.

Bellamy, Echo, Raven, Shaw, Harper, Monty, Murphy and Emori were all together with a drink of Monty’s moonshine talking about Clarke’s leadership, about how she had taken control of all the people on Earth without so much as talking to them about it, either beforehand or since. They were not happy.

“And the way she asked mainly Eligius people to take the orphans, what, are we not good enough?” Emori asked.

“She knows I would not take one” Echo offered. “I have said that I would not help raise any child that was not part of Bellamy and myself.”

“What?” Harper asked. “Surely you would help with Griff and Blake if necessary?”

“No. I would offer what help and support I could to Bellamy, but I would not be involved with raising them. I suppose I could help with Blake since he is so much like Bellamy but I would not help with Griff: I would be reminded that he is the result of Bellamy’s love for someone else too much and I will not put myself through that” Echo replied.

Bellamy was saddened but unsurprised: everyone else was shocked into silence.

“I don’t know why you are surprised” Echo spoke, “I am selfish over Bellamy, you all know that – except you, Shaw – and I don’t like to share him, especially with another love. It’s bad enough that I have to see them about the village, help train them, defend them if needed, but I am not going to help raise them. And I know that it is equally hard, if not harder for Clarke, but she is stronger than I by far.”

“Clarke spoke to me about them when she asked me about formerly taking guardianship of Ethan” Monty said. “She said that they needed to be where the primary guardian is in a stable setting and that is why she looked to the people she did. Most of you will be away from home for too long and too often to take these already neglected children.”

“Oh, I guess it makes sense” Murphy conceded. “They do need a bit of stability and if we have our own we can give them a different stability and plan our trips so that one of us is always with them, at least until they are older and feel secure with someone else.”

“I’m with Echo” Raven said. “I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but the only child I want to raise will be from me and Zeke. I don’t know how I feel about spreading my or Zeke’s DNA though. I get the logic of it, but I don’t want to raise a child that is part of Zeke and another woman, even if it was done medically, and I don’t want a child that is not part of Zeke.”

“It wouldn’t bother me at all” Murphy said. “Clarke took in all of us delinquents and tried to raise us right. She clearly loves Madi and the feeling is mutual. None of you share my blood, but you are all my family and I know I would feel the same with any child I raise.”

Emori looked at her love in surprised adoration. “If Clarke says it’s feasible and everyone agrees, I would be happy to raise Raven and Zeke’s half children with you, whether I give birth to them or not. In fact, I don’t care who donates the sperm and eggs, I want at least five children.”

“That’s my girl” Murphy agreed. He loved the idea of having a large family so that his children could grow up with lots of siblings like he now felt like he had. “But I have to say, we’re the ones who pushed Clarke out, we screwed the pooch there so we have no one to blame for the fact that she doesn’t consult us and given the way Bellamy handled their reunion, we should count ourselves lucky that we’re part of her clan and haven’t been shipped off to live in Polis.”

“Now that Octavia is no longer there, I wouldn’t mind living in Polis” Echo offered.

“I would” Bellamy said, making a contribution to the conversation for the first time. “I will never voluntarily go in that bunker again.”

“I wouldn’t like it either” agreed Harper. “I don’t know how you can work there” she added looking at her chosen.

“It’s not so bad when you know that it’s only for a short period; and there’s not that many people left so it sounds a bit hollow when you walk around: but now that Clarke’s got rid of the pit and everyone has a purpose the atmosphere has got to be better.” 

“Clarke wants me to teach those from Wonkru who are part of her team basic mechanics” Shaw added as a slight change of subject. “I think she wants us to integrate more.”

“I don’t want to” Raven declared. “I have no desire to integrate with a bunch of cannibals. Ugh, the whole idea is disgusting.”

“I had no idea that you were so rigid, Rae” Bellamy said. “They did it on the Arc, too, once. What are people supposed to do when the crops fail, and there’s no animals? I don’t think that Wonkru deliberately killed people to eat them; they just made use of what was there. The people of the Arc had a cull to feed the rest.”

“This is why you’re not the one in charge” Echo offered, not meaning to sound nasty. “You can’t make the difficult decisions that mean the difference between your people living or them dying. I can’t either. My decisions will be made based on keeping myself and my family alive and as long as they’re safe, I couldn’t decide for anyone else. In the bunker I would have killed everyone else so that what little was left was available for me or mine so at most only the few of us would have survived, not the hundreds that Octavia saved.”

“Who she then led into an unwinnable war” Shaw sighed.

“I think she got to like the power too much” Harper offered. “Clarke doesn’t care about power” and she ignored the snorts of derision that came from Raven and Emori “she puts herself in charge so that she can do what she can to save as many as she can. Now she has publically said that her priority is her children, then the other children. Once upon a time I would have said that we would be third, now we’re just part of her clan and we have no one to blame but ourselves.”

“How do you mean?” Raven asked. “It’s not our fault that we got separated.”

“She gave us refuge when it had to be painful for her to see Bellamy and Echo and to know that we all, but especially Bellamy, moved on from her only for us to physically move away from her while she was rescuing you from Eligius. Did any of us thank her for that? Did any of us actually thank her for saving our lives on the Ring? I know I never got around to thanking her. I just took it and moved away without a word. We made our choice when we all moved out of the house without even discussing with Clarke what she wanted for where everyone should sleep. It wouldn’t surprise me that if we had asked, she would have said to set up Abby and Kane in the lab, too. Clarke kept us close to her for the six years we were apart, we pushed her away.”

“One day you will have to tell me what happened from your perspective” Shaw said. “I only know what Clarke told me and although she tried to make light of it, it sounded horrendous. We tortured her, you know. Bellamy saw the state she was in, but she’s never held it against us. I like that: what happened before we made peace is forgiven and we’re just like any other member of her clan; no special privileges, no special hardships.”

“We wait” Gaia told the followers of the flame. “We wait until we have the chance to be close to the natural night bloods and we give little pieces of the great destiny that could be theirs. And we initiate a campaign to have it uniformly agreed between all the krus that once a person has passed 16 summers they are a full adult. That way we can get the girl to become our Commander in just three years. But we must work patiently, and we must be stealthy. We do not want to give Wanheda a reason to come after us until we have a real Commander on our side. Once Madi has taken the flame, there will be no turning back and all will be well again.”

“But I thought all was well now?” Fagen said.

“It is, and Wanheda is a wonderful leader and I wish that she would take the flame so that she could have the wisdom of the previous Commanders to aid her. Madi will also make a wonderful leader once Wanheda’s fight is over, the flame will give her that extra power to make her even greater: she will have the best of Wanheda and of all the previous Commanders within her to be the greatest Commander of all.”

“Are you looking forward to our trip to the sky, Drake?” Indra asked the man Clarke had described as her foreman.

“No” Drake was adamant. “I will, however, do my duty and if it is possible that there will be things in the sky that will help us on the ground then I will persevere. We do not have many tools and without the fire to make and shape them the building work is going to be very difficult unless we can get some things from the sky.”

“Shaw said that if we could do a detailed design of what we would need he should be able to make it up there, especially if it is made from metal so you make sure you know what we want and we will get it.”

“Yes, Sekheda. I have already listed what we need. I want us to take the glass so that it can be melted in the sky into panes.”

Indra thought that Drake’s idea for the glass was good and decided to ask Shaw about it so that all the glass collected could be taken if it was better to make the panes in the sky than on the ground.

Shaw agreed that it would be easier to melt the glass to make panes in space and wanted to know if it would be possible to have a couple of days with lots of people collecting it so that there was as much as possible. Everyone knew that there was not enough currently for every home to have more than one small window and more would be needed.

It was agreed that Bellamy would stay in the Smithsonian exploring the basement rooms he now had access to with the use of one of the Eligius blasters while the truck would be used to take five Wonkru members whose work was not an immediate priority to sift and gather glass. Five different people would do the same the next day. It would depend on what Bellamy found in the Smithsonian as to what would happen after that.

In the end Bellamy stayed in the basement for four days while the truck was used to collect glass. Afterwards, he very proudly took two sewing machines, a spinning wheel, a loom, lots of very old tech, some books, a film projector and some films, some old music players with some very old music, and some knife sharpeners. That was in addition to the plans and things that he had found in his previous trip and he knew that if he could get Raven and Emori in there they would find more treasures. But Clarke had said that until all the short and medium term work was done there would be no more long term exploratory missions so he made sure that the basements were sealed so that they could come back another time; probably the next year.

Up on the Eligius home ship Monty and Raven discovered that they could make sheets of synthetic rubber which would be perfect for placing on top of the metal ship containers so that the rain would not reverberate so loudly without detracting from the waterproofness. They would also be great for making soles for boots and shoes, and tyres for the vehicles. The machine could be brought to Earth, but it, like the farm, would need a power source.

“So why don’t we set it to making solar cells?” Charmaine asked.

The three techies looked at each other and laughed.

“You’re right, we can do that here, now, and then take them to Earth to set up the power source so that we can make rubber sheets there” Shaw said. “We can have Phia rigged up so that there is electricity so that you can heat water, too. It will take time to get enough made so that you’re fully powered up, but I think Clarke’s desire to have everyone in a warm home by this time next year is feasible if the building can be done quick enough.”

Drake was amazed at the things he was hearing: machines to heat water instead of fire: whatever next?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, whatever next indeed. I have only one thing in mind for the next chapter, so if you want to see something, let me know and I'll do my best to incorporate it.
> 
> Stay safe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nearly a year after the last chapter ended read how life is moving along for the people of Clarkeskru.

Charmaine and Indra were both walking around the almost completed settlement of Phia. All the homes that were attached to a business were complete (farmers, blacksmith, animal husbandry, clothiers, furniture makers) but the homes for the itinerant workers, teachers and those who needed no business premises were yet to be built. Also there was no temple or specific place of worship much to Gaia’s dismay. The workers who were working around Phia were smiling and Indra said that the others couldn’t wait to leave Polis so that they could return to normal life.

“They now all feel that once again there is a purpose to their lives which is more than just surviving” Indra said. “They want to live, put down roots, and look to a prosperous future. We have at least another six babies on the way.” 

Charmaine smiled at Indra’s pride. “I think you’re right to want to place homes all around so that everyone is intermingled” Charmaine said as she noted the areas that had been marked out for buildings.

“Yes, until their homes are built, they will be sharing with whoever is next to them. No one needs the extra bedroom just yet so they can share for a while. Now that we know how to build the houses we can do so quite easily and I just want to get my people out of Polis” Indra replied.

“It must be hard for you to know that the biggest problem to unity is your own daughter” Charmaine pushed.

“It is. I have tried to warn Gaia, and those who hold the same beliefs, that if she continues to push the flame that Clarke will destroy it but Gaia doesn’t accept that Clarke will succeed. Nor does she realise that if necessary, Clarke will destroy Gaia along with the flame. Gaia is a well trained fighter, all the flame keepers are, and she believes that just holding the flame gives her added strength. Even though she is a new mother herself, she does not appreciate the strength that fighting for your own child gives.”

“Is there a way whereby you could get the flame away from Gaia so that it doesn’t have to come to a fight?” Charmaine probed.

“Not yet, but we have two years to think about it. I miss Marcus, how is he settled in Beccaston?” Indra changed the subject.

“Marcus likes it very well. He enjoys the peace from lack of fighting and from not having to make life altering decisions; and he loves teaching the youngsters; and to be honest, I think he likes to get away from Abby at times and his job is a good excuse. I know she was an addict and that changes people in all sorts of ways, but what was she like before that?” 

“Even when they first came to the ground I did not like Abby” Indra said. “She was arrogant and seemed to hold no affection for any of the people she and the Council sent down to die except for Clarke. I don’t know if you have been told about the Mountain, if not ask Marcus, but when her young ones were held in the Mountain she wanted no part in trying to get them out. If not for Clarke and Bellamy, all of Skaikru would have died and she did nothing to acknowledge their skills. Abby kept calling them children and ignoring their words. Marcus was at least willing to listen to us and them; give us all the opportunity for peace, to learn from each other and adapt to the ways of the Earth. Abby wanted life to continue the same as it had been up in the sky.”

“She hasn’t changed much, then” Charmaine snorted. “Abby still finds it hard to accept that Clarke is no longer her child and continues to get into arguments as she tries to treat her as one and Clarke has to put a stop to it. Marcus intervenes when he can but he must find it all exhausting. She is very good at her job, though.”

“Yes, Jackson says that he still does not have the skill that Abby or Clarke have and has wondered if he and Abby should swop locations for a while so that the bigger settlement has the better healer” Indra said.

“Put it to Clarke, she might want a break from her mother, but will be sorry to lose Marcus. I would be sorry to see him go, too. I find Marcus to be calming” Charmaine said.

When Charmaine returned to Beccaston she talked to Clarke about Indra’s request: she received a surprise.

“Mom should go and make sure that Jackson knows everything she does, and they should choose someone between them to be their new trainee. With the information stored on the computers here I could handle anything that comes up that Mom could handle, although she would probably be quicker to diagnose so I would want to make sure that good radio communications are available. Do you think that Bellamy could handle Marcus’s teaching responsibilities, and could Indra make use of Marcus in Phia?” Clarke immediately thought about the ramifications.

“I am sure that Indra would be please to accept the temporary use of Marcus for education. Indra said she misses Marcus. I know I shall while he is away” Charmaine said.

“Anything else you and Indra talked about that I should be aware of?” Clarke asked.

Charmaine appeared to think before she spoke again. “We think there are some divisions within the Spacekru. Other people have commented on it in surprise, we’ve noticed that they’re not as close as they once were. It might be that what we’re seeing is the whole truth, but it is rare for people to wash their dirty laundry in full public view so there is probably more going on beneath the surface.”

Clarke also thought for a moment. “Yeah, I’ve noticed a few issues bubbling along with them. I know she’s on your staff, but would you mind if I spoke with Echo about it? I think she is most likely to be honest with me.”

“Not a problem” Charmaine agreed. “I’ll go and ask Echo to come and see you, then I’ll talk to Indra about Abby and Marcus then when we reach agreement, I’ll talk to them, then with Bellamy: I think he might be happy to know he will be here for a while to spend more time with Griff and Blake when your two new ones arrive.”

Clarke nodded her agreement and sat back while rubbing at her enormous stomach. She was so grateful to have Charmaine and Indra to rely on while she wasn’t at her best. 

Carrying another set of twins was not the easiest thing to do when there was much she had to stay on top of. At least Thorne wanted to be a father to the two little ones and was happy to continue a ‘with benefits’ friendship with her. Thorne said that he would let her know immediately if he met another woman that he wished to consider as a possible real spouse so that there was no possibility of overlap or miscommunication. There was no angst with their relationship: they liked each other and there was definite attraction between them but it was merely the mutual scratching of an itch with the added bonus of two babies to come out of it. Clarke would be sad if no, when, their relationship came to an end but she would not be heartbroken. 

“You wished to see me?” Echo broke into Clarke’s musings.

“Yes, Echo, thank you. Please come and sit down so I don’t get a crick in my neck having to look up at you” and Clarke indicated a chair that was close, but not too close. When Echo was seated, Clarke continued. “I’m afraid this is going to put a bit on the spot, and I’m going to ask that you be completely honest with me: if you don’t want to answer, tell me, but don’t evade or lie.”

Echo sat up straighter (and Clarke didn’t know how since she always seemed to sit straight in her seat) and a calculating look entered her eyes. Echo finally reached her own conclusion. “I swear that I will speak honestly.”

Clarke accepted Echo’s words. “I have been told that there appears to be some division within Spacekru. I need to know about it in case it affects the effectiveness of the scavengers, or my people in general. Rest assured I do not want to know about little spats, just something that might alter the atmosphere around Beccaston.”

Echo sighed as she acknowledged the truth of Clarke’s words. “Yes we have divided: we are still family, but we do not feel the need to live so close or see each other every day – we have other friends now. Monty and Harper are happy to flit from group to group, being a part of the Islanders of Clarke’skru and are probably the most integrated of us. I don’t think they would be happy if they were told they were to move to Phia and be primarily with Wonkru, though. Murphy and Emori would be happy to be anywhere as long as they could be apart from everyone else at times: I think they both remember when they were the outsiders and they struggle with the good times, ‘waiting for the other shoe to drop’, is how Murphy phrased it. They want to raise a large family, irrespective of DNA, I think so that they have people with whom they know they will always belong.”

Clarke smiled at how well Echo had summed up Emori and Murphy. “What about the rest of you?” 

“Now that she is safe, Raven is beginning to feel bitter: about what exactly I am not sure. She is generally happy when she has a problem to solve, work to do and finds great solace in having another like her, Zeke. In many ways she and I are now closer than ever since we have discovered we share the same concerns with peace and with having to raise children not of the same DNA of us and our chosen. As long as we have our work and our chosens we will be content. Bellamy and Zeke are content as long as they have peace, work that makes them feel useful and Raven and I, although if necessary, Bellamy would leave me for Blake and Griff now, but only because he knows I will not be a parent at all to them if something were to happen to you. I would therefore prefer that nothing bad happens to you. Although we are not as close as we once were, I do not believe that it means that there is unrest amongst us, rather that we have taken the opportunity to grow, which means a degree of distance has grown between us. I promise you this, if I think that there is any concern for the safety of you or your children, I will make sure that you are safe even if it means at the expense of a member of my family. I do not think it will be necessary for me to act upon that promise, though.”

Clarke thought about Echo’s words and realised where there could be a problem. “What about other members of my clan, particularly the children?”

“I will help exile all of Spacekru rather than allow insurgence, but I will not kill them unless I have no other choice: but I do not think all would go because of the choices of a few. Make sure Zeke’s loyalty lies with you and Diyoza rather than Raven and there should be no potential problem.”

Clarke thanked Echo for her honesty and pondered on the implications. She, too, had noticed that Raven showed spurts of bitterness towards her generally but without any real direction or cause, but acted as if all was well the next minute. Clarke didn’t think it likely, but was it possible that Raven was a little bi-polar? As soon as Clarke had the thought that she ought to talk to her mom about it she realised that Abby demonstrated the same type of bitterness towards Clarke. Another conversation with Marcus was needed.

Marcus was pleased with the idea of spending six months in Phia. He thought it was an excellent idea to reconnect with the people of Wonkru. He would miss seeing the boys and Madi as much, and Clarke, of-course but it would be nice to spend time with other friends. He said as much to Clarke when she asked to speak with him.

“I’m glad” Clarke said. “I didn’t want to ask you to do something if it would make you unhappy, but since that idea was raised something else has cropped up and I have a feeling it might be asking you to do just that.”

Marcus looked taken aback, but on seeing Clarke’s face just nodded for her to continue.

“I was talking to Echo about something and she made a passing comment about Raven that got me thinking and my thoughts travelled down a long and winding path that led me to my mother. I need to know why she is so bitter about me and what can be done to prevent it spiralling before she crosses a line that none of us would like.”

“Clarke, Abby isn’t bitter about you!” Marcus tried, but he looked at Clarke’s brow raised in astonishment, and backtracked. “Okay, yes, but it is not your fault” and still Clarke’s brow was raised so Marcus knew he had to take it as the serious threat it could be. “Abby was destined for greatness; we all knew that on the Arc. Not only was Abby the best Medical Officer in living memory by far, but her actions clearly demonstrated that her first loyalty was to the Arc and not her family. Until she broke the law to save Jaha there was no doubt that she would be the next Chancellor if she wanted to be, otherwise she would be the power behind the throne. There was no doubt that people would be looking up to Abby as long as she lived and even after death, she would be the stuff of legends.

“Then we came to Earth and she learned that her baby girl did not worship her as she used to; her baby girl showed that she was a true leader, able to fight for what she believed in and win against almost impossible odds – Mt Weather, making peace with the grounders. It was worse and better when we got out of the bunker and her baby girl far exceeded her in everything: you were a mother of three, you could survive on your own in a barren hostile world, you are the better doctor and are the better leader of any she had ever known. There is nothing that Abby can do that you cannot do better and as much as she is proud of you she …”

“She hates that even when she kept thinking of me as a child I had already become a living legend. Mom is jealous, just like Raven who is no longer always picked first. There is one thing mom has that I don’t - a partner, someone who will always be on my side right or wrong; you should remind mom of that. When my children are grown and having their own children, I will go home to an empty house, an empty bed – she should be grateful she doesn’t have my life. There is no way that mom could make peace with people who had tortured and betrayed her personally the way I have had to. I know you are responsible for much that she has suffered and she has forgiven you, but you are of her people. Marcus, in this respect I am my mother’s daughter, if she crosses the line in the way she talks to and about me, I will exile her to the Polis bunker where she will spend the rest of her days. I don’t want to, but she and Raven are sowing seeds of discontent, none of them had better sprout. I’m going to ask Charmaine to talk to both of them with a witness to give formal warning. I will need you to talk Abby down from immediately pouncing on me. Tell her to talk to me privately. Perhaps she will be better in Phia, but Indra will not give her the leeway I have so I have to hope that being away from me helps.”

“I hope you are right, too” Marcus said. “I will try to speak to Abby to warn her that she is undermining you. I will tell her that this conversation is about the proposed temporary move to Phia and you wanted to check that I was okay with it and agreed that Bellamy could handle my responsibility here before you made the formal request to her.

Raven stormed into Clarke’s room, slamming the door behind her and laced into her “Where the hell do you get off having your pet terrorist tell me that I am being insubordinate just because I don’t kiss your ass every time you look in my direction?”

Clarke took a deep breath and levered herself up to a sitting position on her bed, taking time to make sure her back was supported all the while watching Raven fume through the corner of her eye.

“What would you call your actions over the past two minutes?” Clarke asked. “From my perspective I would say ‘insubordination’ is the least of it.”

“Look, just because you’re pregnant you don’t get play the injured party here. I’m the one who was threatened with exile if I didn’t start kissing your ass” Raven calmed just a touch.

“You were not threatened with exile because you’re not a brown noser: Echo, Emori and Murphy aren’t and no one is suggesting that they are not being perfectly good citizens. You were warned because you frequently question my orders, you interrupt when I am speaking, you say rude things about me, you are not practising the mantra of forgiving past sins, …”

“Because there’s too many from you to forgive!” Raven interrupted again.

Clarke took a deep breath and continued: “you make it clear that you have little respect for me or my leadership, and the way you stormed into my bedroom just now when you know I am on medical bedrest is nothing short of outrageous. You have a problem with my orders, speak to me privately and responsibly, or ask politely about them the way everyone else does, you don’t want to forgive me my past sins, although I don’t know exactly what sins I appear to have that you find completely unforgivable, but forgive everyone else theirs then fine, but at least act like they are forgiven for the sake of everyone else because if you try to undermine me anymore, you will be sent to Phia for a while to work solely on their civil engineering projects. You don’t have to like me, but you do have to respect me. Take this as your final warning and get the hell out of my room before I throw you out, medical bed rest or not.”

Abby’s visit was a little calmer than Raven’s. “I know I have been awful to you, but to send me away … . Why would you do that?”

“Jackson is the one who suggested that you should be in Phia because it will be the bigger settlement and will need the better doctor. I am the one who has suggested that you be there just for a while to make sure that Jackson is taught everything he doesn’t know and that between the two of you another med apprentice is found and for training to begin. Unless things change, you should return here as your permanent base after six months, a year at most: unless something else happens or you and Marcus want to stay there. However, your attitude towards me made it an easy request to grant. I get so tired of trying to justify your poor behaviour so that you don’t lose the respect of everyone here. A break from it will be nice.”

Abby looked a little shocked at how Clarke phrased it, but she was also clearly sad. “Marcus said that he would like to spend some time with the people of Wonkru again, and that he missed Indra.”

“Don’t you feel the same, mom?” Clarke asked.

“No. I don’t have many fond memories of Wonkru or of Indra.”

“Then this will give the opportunity to make some new memories. Make the most of it because you WILL be going shortly after these twins are born” Clarke made sure that Abby knew she was not being given a choice at this stage.

Clarke had elected not to know the gender of the babies (although she did get a clear view of one of them on the ultrasound). She and Thorne agreed that he would choose the first name of any boys and she the second, and that Clarke would choose the first name of any girls and Thorne the second. Clarke didn’t know the details, but she did know that Murphy was running the book on the genders and date of birth. Abby had been barred from joining in with the gender bet since she would probably know from seeing the ultrasounds. Thorne talked about the people that he loved and left before the Earth burned and wanted to remember them – particularly his mother who he knew that he let down by his arrest.

“None of us adults are innocent” Clarke reassured him. “We’ve all done things that we wish we hadn’t, killed people who didn’t deserve to be killed, killed some who did. The blood on my hands is more than I can bear sometimes, but I just look at my children and know that I would go through everything ten times, a hundred times, if it meant that I had them in my life. Whatever happened before you arrived here is for you to learn from and no business of anyone else – not even me unless you want to tell me.”

“Thank you” Thorne said. “One day I might tell you what happened and why, but for the most part I just want to enjoy my life and not reflect on the past.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's starting to become clear who the dangers to the children are. What exactly is Raven's problem? I'm not sure yet whether to resolve it all so everything is good, or ... . What is Abby's problem with Indra? The green eyed monster strikes again.
> 
> Stay safe, everyone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone isn't happy and does their best to make sure that they spread the misery through both settlements!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter focuses on one person and the damage they can do when they lose their temper. It's not as bad as it could be, but anger in the wrong hands is a recipe for disaster.

Giving birth to twins is not easy, not even when it is the second time doing it, or when there is medical help and the father is present to assist. Never-the-less, after much cursing and damning of all men to hell, Clarke delivered her second daughter and her third son: they were perfect.

“What are their names?” Abby asked.

“Our daughter is called Maya …” Clarke began.

“Matilda” Thorne finished naming their beautiful girl. “And our son is called “Mason …”

“Pax” Clarke finished. “Not after Paxton McCreary, but for peace.”

Abby smiled and said how much she would miss them all while she was in Phia.

“Don’t worry, I’ll bring them all along when I come for visits” Clarke said. “And the sooner you and Jackson have a trained medic or two and all your knowledge is imparted to Jackson, the sooner you can come back.”

Those of Clarke’skru who heard thought they were excellent names, except for Raven who snorted in disbelief that Clarke would have the audacity to name her daughter after a girl who she killed.

It was Monty who brought the issue to Bellamy. “If we don’t get her to stop, she’s going to end up in Phia for the rest of the year” Monty said.

“I don’t know what has got into her” Bellamy lamented. “While we were on the ring she sang Clarke’s praises, and since we’ve come back Clarke has done nothing that Raven could possibly take offence at, and at first she seemed completely happy here, but she’s become so bitter and I don’t understand it.”

“Harper thinks that Raven is jealous” Monty offered.

“What of? Why would Raven be jealous?” Bellamy was dumbfounded.

“I don’t understand it either, but according to Harper, Raven is jealous because Clarke doesn’t rely on her the way she used to” Monty said.

Bellamy finally understood: “She’s no longer picked first” he muttered. “I’ll have a word with her. We have the chance to be happy and at peace and I want Raven to take it.”

“I think even Shaw is starting to get fed up with Raven and that would really push her over the edge” Monty added. “He asked me if Raven had always been so snide about Clarke and I told him what happened with Finn but he doesn’t get how that could be Clarke’s fault.”

“Okay, let’s have an intervention for Spacekru. All get together one night and hash it out. Don’t tell Raven why we’re getting together, just the others. Let the other women decide if we should invite Shaw and let him know why we’re doing it. You speak to Harper, I’ll speak to Echo and Murphy then Echo, Harper and Emori can get together to decide about Shaw.”

“Okay, what’s the occasion?” Raven asked as all her people were squashed together in the cosy living space of Bellamy and Echo’s home.

Everyone had a drink, and there was no way for Raven to leave under her own steam so Bellamy took the bull by the horns and said “We need to talk about Clarke because we love you and don’t want to lose you for the next six months.”

“What? Why? What has that bitch threatened now?” Raven asked.

“And that there is exactly why we need to talk about Clarke” Harper said. “There is absolutely no reason for you to speak about Clarke in that tone or using those words. So Raven, we need to talk about Clarke so that you can release all the anger you feel towards her in this safe environment and we can then all move on.”

“I don’t get it, Raven” Emori said. “You were full of praise for Clarke while we were in space but now to act like she’s the worst person ever.”

“I thought she was dead then, and you don’t speak ill of the dead” Raven offered.

“That is true, but you don’t need to laud them either” Monty offered. “Murphy didn’t go on about how great Clarke is; neither did Emori or Echo.”

“I didn’t know her that well, but I might have done if I did” Echo said with a smile. “Clarke never did anything to piss me off, other than to exist, but I still wanted her dead for the longest time yet she saved my life.”

“Your first instinct was right” Raven muttered. “Clarke is a natural born killer. She’s like some kind of vampire or mermaid that lures you in and then bam, you’re dead. Look what she did to Finn!”

“You seriously can’t blame Clarke for what happened with Finn” Monty sighed. “Finn first set his sights on Octavia, but when she wasn’t interested, he turned to Clarke. At no point did he say that he had a girlfriend and as soon as Clarke knew about you, she ended things with him. Nothing she did was wrong.”

“He killed all those people for her and then she killed him!” Raven cried.

“He killed all those people because he was mad” Murphy offered. “He wasn’t Finn anymore and it wasn’t Clarke’s fault that he went on a killing spree; she was in Mt Weather, remember.”

“But she killed him. I gave her the knife to kill the Commander but she used it to kill Finn instead” Raven persisted.

“And if she had tried to kill the Commander she would have died and it wouldn’t have helped Finn” Echo offered, having heard the story many times from Raven. “If she had succeeded in killing the Commander then all of Skaikru would have been wiped out. Killing Finn the way she did was the kindest thing that Clarke could have done for him; and for you so you didn’t have to see and hear him being tortured. You should be grateful to Clarke because other than your ire, the only thing she risked was her own life because it was possible for Clarke to have been forced to take Finn’s place at the stake.”

“She took Atom’s life when he was dying from the acid fog so that he wasn’t in any more pain.” Bellamy reminded Raven, in case she was unaware.

“Yes, proving my point, she kills” Raven pushed.

“She kills when it is a mercy to end someone’s pain or to protect her people” Bellamy corrected.

“I heard Jonesy say that she killed four of your people when you first came down; don’t tell me you also support her, Zeke?” Raven pushed Shaw.

“We landed in the middle of her home, we came out guns blazing, not knowing that there was someone living there and we threatened her and her children. Two of the first three killed were known paedophiles so I expect she had good reason to kill them if they came across the youngsters. We were lucky she didn’t wipe us off the face of the Earth. And when we caught her, we tortured her when you arrived and Diyoza thought she had been lying to us when she said she and her children were the only ones left on Earth. Clarke didn’t have to warn Diyoza about the worms but she wanted to save as many of us as she could. No, Clarke is not perfect; but she is a damned fine leader who asks for no more from her people than she is prepared to give of herself” Zeke said.

“She actually asks for a lot less from us than she gives of herself” Harper pointed out. “Clarke would never ask one of us to die to save her, but she has volunteered to die for us. She offered us a home when she didn’t need to and she came up with a plan to rescue you.”

“Raven, if you can’t be respectful and friendly to Clarke, please, at least be polite” Emori asked. “I know how valuable you are to our settlement, but Clarke has to consider more than just us and if you undermine her, you will be sent to Phia and Indra will not tolerate your disrespect. You will be punished according to Wonkru tradition and you will not like it.”

“None of us will like it if we have to lose because of something that should be nothing” Murphy put it. “But I’m telling you, Raven, I have a cushy number here. I have Emori; a varied job that means I can sometimes cook, sometimes go off on adventures; a home that I know will not be taken away from me without another being provided; the chance to have a big family; peace and security; all the food I need: I will not put those things at risk for you Raven. I will be sorry if you have to leave, but I will not defend you if you push it again, I will not follow you if you are asked to leave.”

“We all have a good life here; and I will not leave my sons for you” Bellamy pointed out. “I have already lost so much of my family so please don’t put me in the position that I lose you too, even for six months.”

“And she’s responsible for Octavia’s death! How can you forgive her for that?” Raven still persisted.

“Jeepers, Raven” Harper was getting exasperated, “were you not there? Clarke left Octavia defeated but alive and well. Octavia held a knife to Bellamy’s son’s throat and threatened to kill him if Clarke didn’t bow down to her, and it was Diyoza who killed Octavia. You saw how things were with Octavia in charge, why would that be a good thing?”

“Yeah, well, Diyoza is another natural born killer” Raven muttered. “No wonder the two of them get on so well.”

“I am a man of faith, Raven, and in the Bible there is a line where Jesus says ‘let he who is without sin cast the first stone’; we are none of us without sin” Shaw said, as he pondered on the likelihood of Raven stomping her way over the line. “Raven, you are the most amazing woman I have ever come across, and I am begging you to please let me keep you in my life by pretending, even if you can’t see, that Clarke and Diyoza are also amazing women.”

“Well, you’ve all made your feelings pretty clear” Raven raged as she stood to leave. “You’re all team Clarke and I had better fall in line.”

Echo, who was blocking the way out, wrapped her arms around her friend and said “I love you Raven. You are my best friend. Please don’t make me have to choose between you and Bellamy; it would tear me apart having to make the decision to pick one over the other. Please, Raven, play nice, or at least pretend to.”

“Think she’ll listen?” Murphy asked.

“Nope” Bellamy replied.

“Definitely not” agreed Shaw.

“She thinks we’ve all ganged up on her” Harper said sadly.

“I’ll go and spend some time with her” Echo offered. “Perhaps seeing that I still love her will help.”

“So you really think I’m in the wrong?” Raven asked Echo.

“Feelings are never wrong, even if they’re from a misguided perspective; but sometimes acting on them is wrong. It is your right to hate Clarke, even though she has done nothing to deserve that enmity. However, it is not your right to act on that hate and risk the unity of the rest of the clan by undermining our leader. None of us is asking you to like Clarke, we’re just asking you to give her the respect she deserves as our clan leader” Echo replied.

“I’ll try, but it just feels so wrong that she gets to enjoy the good life when she killed so many” Raven said through her teeth.

“And she only has this life because of all those she saved, including us. I don’t know if I will ever really like Clarke either, I have tried to kill her too many times and owe her too much to feel completely comfortable in her presence, but I will always respect her” Echo offered.

Raven tried, she really did but when she heard that Shaw and Jonesy were asked to go to Phia to help with installation of the solar power system, the system that she designed, without consulting her she lost it. Raven stormed into Clarke’s home, barging into rooms without care, yelling at the boys to get out of her way, until she found Clarke in her bedroom and demanded to know what the hell she thought she was doing.

“Jonesy asked to go so that he can spend more time with Wonkru people and Indra said she didn’t want you because she didn’t want to have to deal with your attitude” Clarke was nonchalant. “And the way you just barged into my personal quarters yet again, demonstrates your complete lack of ability to respect the chain of command, and respect of me as a person. So congratulations, Raven, you will be going to Phia instead of Shaw, and you will be there until the harvest festival at the earliest and you will be living and working under Indra’s command. I hope you’re happy now.”

“What do you mean? You can’t just tell me what to do. Who do you think you are?” Raven was fuming.

“I am your Heda and this is my home, my land and my people and you will do what you are told since you cannot do what you are asked. Now, Thorne will escort you to your quarters and will inform Shaw and Jonesy that you are going in Shaw’s stead. I shall inform Charmaine and Indra. Thorne?” Clarke looked at her lover and indicated Raven.

“Of-course, Commander” Thorne said knowing that he was carrying out his Commander’s request, not his lover’s and he went to take Raven’s arm to lead her away.

Sighing sadly, Clarke called for Madi and told what had happened and what she had decided.

“Well she was warned, but Indra isn’t going to be happy about it” Madi said almost gleefully.

And Indra wasn’t happy, Clarke could tell by the response of “Yes, Heda” with no expansion.

Spacekru weren’t happy either.

“Dammit Raven, why? Why would you do that?” Emori asked.

“I wanted to know why I was cut out of the decision making” Raven sulked.

“So it didn’t occur to you to ask politely if you could have a word and calmly wonder if Clarke would mind explaining?” Murphy snarked. “No, you had to barge into her personal rooms and shout at her so that the whole building heard you being so disrespectful, after you called her and Bellamy’s sons brats. I heard you in the kitchen. You would be the first to complain if someone just barged into your personal space like that yet you think it’s okay to do it to our leader. I thought you were supposed to be clever, Raven.”

Worse was to come. The next morning Raven was summoned to the Meeting Room. In the room Bellamy, Clarke, Madi, Charmaine, Blake and Tricia were waiting. All of them bore a look of a mixture of sadness and anger, except for Blake who looked sad and scared.

“Bellamy, please tell Raven where Harper is and what she is doing” Clarke said in a dead voice.

“Harper is with Griffin in the Med Centre because he is unconscious due to a fractured skull gained when you went on your rampage through Clarke’s home yesterday” Bellamy offered in an equally dead voice.

“What? No, how is that anything to do with me?” Raven demanded, not seeming to care that they were potentially talking about the life of a child, the child of one of her dearest friends.

“Blake, tell Raven what happened to Griff” Clarke said calmly.

“You banged doors open. Griff was standing behind the door and when you banged it open it knocked him on the floor and he hit his head and you said to get out of your way brats” Blake said in a quiet voice.

“I found them sitting on the floor of the room you had just looked in” Tricia added. “I asked him if he was hurt but he said he only had a little bump on his head. I told them both to go to their mother to make sure it was all okay and left them playing. When the Commander returned from making her call to Indra and meeting Diyoza I mentioned what had happened.”

“And when I got to my boys, Griff was dizzy and he then threw up” Clarke added. “An examination showed a hairline fracture on his skull and concussion. He will in all likelihood make a full recovery, but it is clear that unless you can learn to control your temper you are not safe to be around children, either here or at Phia, without some form of restraint.”

“If you were staying here you would be wearing a collar from here on in” Charmaine said; “but since you are going to Phia and Indra doesn’t like them they have a different plan in mind. All the doors to the house you will be staying in except the one to Jonesy’s room will be removed. Every door you come across in Phia you must knock and wait to be invited in. If there is no response, you wait a minute, a full minute, and knock again. If after another full minute there has been no response you may enter the room unless it is someone’s private quarters in which case you leave. Failure to follow that procedure will lead to punishment.”

“If another person is injured due to your loss of temper, it will be treated the same as if the injury was caused deliberately” Clarke added. “If anyone dies as a result of your loss of temper you will be exiled to Polis as will anyone else found guilty of manslaughter or murder. Because you have seriously injured a child, you will receive no visits from friends while you are in Phia until the harvest festival at the earliest. The timing of when you will be allowed visits, or to return here if you so choose, will depend on your behaviour in Phia. Indra has agreed that you will stay there until you are deemed safe to return here and not be a risk to my children in particular, even if that means you never return.”

“You can’t do that” Raven declared. “You need me!”

“No Raven” Clarke corrected. “We don’t need you, we want you. We haven’t needed you here since you left for the ring.”

“And you’ve never forgiven me for that, have you?” Raven was angry.

“Of-course I haven’t: there was and is, nothing to forgive. You did exactly what I wanted you to do. The right thing was to leave me when I couldn’t get back in time and I was proud when I saw the rocket take off. But Raven, I didn’t die and I won’t apologise for that. I have already announced that our first priority is to protect the children of our clan and right now you are a danger to them, especially to Blake, Griff, possibly Maya and Mason. I hope that you take this lesson to mind and that you learn. Tricia, take Blake to see Griff, please.”

Tricia stood and led a sad Blake to the bedside of his unconscious twin.

“You could have killed my son, Rae” Bellamy had tears in his eyes. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to forgive you if he doesn’t make a full recovery. You’re one of my closest friends and you caused the serious injury to my son because you couldn’t be calm, because you think it your right to demand things just because you’re the smartest person around. Please get over whatever it is you need to get over so that you can be our awesome friend again.” At that Bellamy got up to leave the room.

“Madi, please escort Raven to say her farewells to her friends, make sure they all know that they cannot visit her until after the harvest festival at the earliest, radio calls only; and if they have a problem with that they could speak to Bellamy, and make sure she is at the rover in 25 minutes with her bag.” Clarke knew that Madi could handle the responsibility but she wasn’t sure that Raven could handle the lesson: in that respect Raven and Octavia were too alike, fiery with tempers that they were never taught to control. Indra made a good start with Octavia, and perhaps with more time she would have succeeded: Clarke hoped that Raven used her awesome brain power to learn the importance of control of oneself as well as control of machinery.

“Do you think we will get to see Raven again?” Monty asked.

“I don’t know” Harper replied. “She seemed cut up when she came to say goodbye to me and saw Griff unconscious on the sick bed, but I don’t know. Life will be harder with Wonkru than here and she might not take to the changes well.”

“And we know that some people will give her verbal abuse because of her leg and she won’t react well to that” Emori added. “I hope Indra will take that into account when deciding any punishment for loss of temper.”

“It has been agreed that Indra will talk to Raven and tell her how she is allowed to react when such instances occur” Bellamy added. “They hope that by addressing the issue with Raven before it happens, it will give her the steer she needs to deal with it in a manner that will work for Wonkru. The people of Wonkru are being warned that if they disrespect the Tekheda, they will lose out on the benefits that Raven brings for a period of time. That means houses will be cut off from the water and power for a time. So we’ll see if it works.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will the time in Phia with Wonkru help Raven get over her problems? I have my own view at the moment but we'll see what happens when I start to type that section.
> 
> Next up, Eden; and Bellamy realising a few things.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time has come to try to eliminate the eggs from Eden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time jump to the middle of September, 6 weeks before Raven can either return to Beccaston or receive visits and more than 2 years since they returned to the ground. All of Wonkru are now living in Phia, The Polis bunker has been sealed (but can be unsealed) until needed to house exiles.

Clarke was chairing a meeting with Charmaine, Indra, Madi, Kochi, Monty and Kara. They had decided that it was time to burn Eden.

“There is no way to get anything major from the valley any more” Kochi stated. “The last four times we went we brought back eggs and the last two times we almost ran out of oxygen.”

“So we’re agreed that it is now time to burn it?” Clarke asked.

Everyone solemnly nodded their heads in agreement.

“How are we going to do it?” Monty asked.

Clarke nodded to Madi who went to get Thorne and Murphy. The two had been given advance notice of what would be asked of them so they had time to come up with the best plan.

“Please tell everyone how you think is the best way to burn the valley” Clarke instructed Thorne.

“We spray it with hydrazine from the air, the whole valley, and then just set it alight” Thorne said. “We know it’s not ideal, but to make sure that all the eggs are burned we need to do it all in one go. It’s the end of the summer so it’s as dry as it’s going to be. There’s nothing around for us to worry about the fire spreading and we’ll be able to keep a watch on it through our eye in the sky.”

“Murphy?” Clarke asked.

“We want the best long distance archer to fire into the valley to start the blaze. It doesn’t have to be accurate; it just has to be long so that’s up for grabs. We’re pretty sure we have enough hydrazine but it wouldn’t hurt to have more. We can work on that and make a flammable but relatively weak formula quickly while you find the archer.”

“If it doesn’t grow back, will we be able to thrive?” Madi asked.

Monty looked at Kara and answered. “Yes, we can make it work without Eden, but we will possibly need to exercise some population control for the generation after the next; but after that we should be fine.”

“There are signs that trees, or small shoots are growing in parts of Idaho and the Pacific northwest so if we need to we can transplant from there” Kara added.

“Very well, Murphy and Thorne will work on making more hydrazine, Charmaine to oversee that and the planned distribution method; Indra to lead the search for two distance archers; Monty and Kara to keep up the good work with making sure we improve what we have. Madi, I want it to be your special project to find out everything we can do to make sure we can thrive if we lose Eden for good, taking into account the projected population of both settlements, the vegetation and animal needs, and taking account of things that can go wrong and what we can do to mitigate the problems” Clarke made it clear that Madi was being trained to look to the future of the people. Madi accepted Clarke’s trust and knew that Clarke would help her look to the issues to which she needed to pay particular attention.

“Okay then, hopefully we can meet again in ten days and begin the project. The sooner it’s done the sooner we can look forward to Eden’s re-growth” Clarke closed the meeting.

Echo was one of the chosen two archers who were to set the fire on the valley in the hope that it resulted in the termination of the eggs. Bellamy was worried about her being so close to where it is known that the eggs attack all animal life.

“I will be wearing a protective suit” Echo assured him. “It was a little strange to fire an arrow wearing one but I understand the reason and am sure that we will all be safe. Clarke would not allow for any action unless she was assured that we would be safe. Kochi has told me that Clarke said that unless something could be done safely, it wasn’t to be done. All of us who go will be safe. Shaw is using wind details to ensure that the hydrazine is blown away from us and that we will be firing into the wind so that our arrows travel further. I will be well.”

“Please make sure you are well. I have lost too many of the women I love and feel rather clingy with you at the moment while I think that you might be at risk” Bellamy shuddered as he hugged his chosen.

“I understand and will take any and all precautions that are even hinted at to be sure to return to you, my love” Echo was sad as she thought about the women Bellamy loved and lost – Aurora, Gina, Octavia, Clarke and now Raven, even if the loss of Raven is only temporary, although given the way Raven has been talking over the radio it didn’t appear that any return would be permanent. 

Echo wondered if Bellamy would have survived the time on the Ring to return to Clarke if she, herself, had not been with them. If Bellamy had never loved Echo then he would not have lost her, but he might not have lost Clarke, even though Clarke is still alive and strictly he didn’t lose her, but he temporary misplaced her and chose not to find her again: but to Bellamy, he lost his Clarke, the one he loves, the second the rocket took off and the Clarke who is with them now is not his, or at least that was how it appeared to Echo.

The drop ship coated all of Eden in hydrazine. The winds were coming from the north so the archers were waiting to the north of the valley for the all clear to fire their lighted arrows.

Communications had been set up so that the view from the eye could be seen in the lab. It all went exactly as planned. It was Bellamy who pointed out the likeness to the wave of praimfaya and all looked to Clarke to see her pale and shaking. Bellamy cursed himself for forgetting that Clarke had been up close and personal to the death wave of fire.

Bellamy went to offer what support and comfort he could to Clarke but she violently sheered away from him and declared “You don’t get to touch me!”

Charmaine looked at Bellamy as if he was the biggest idiot going while she turned Clarke away from the screen to face her. Bellamy was shocked to realise that Clarke still felt so strongly about his betrayal. As much as it pained him to see, he thought she had moved on. Clarke always acted like she had moved on and he began to understand that Clarke may never fully move on from what he did, but she pushed through her pain for the sake of her children, and her people.

“Make sure that everyone stays far enough away from the flames. The suits melt in the heat and the results are not pleasant” Clarke said as she walked away.

“You, you, putz!” Charmaine glared at Bellamy. “It was bad enough that she had to see it, but for you to verbalise what she was seeing and feeling, and then to think you had the right to offer comfort. You are now nothing to Clarke and you have to remember that. All she is to you is your Commander and if you don’t like that, remember it was all by your choice. Grief, when you first came to her rescue I was sure she was it for you as you were for her. I almost went into labour with shock when I learned the truth – that you had another woman and were too chicken shit to tell Clarke so she found out in one of the most mortifying scenarios possible. You couldn’t even leave her with the possibility of friendship so you don’t get to act like you give a shit about her now. You make the call to your girlfriend about everyone keeping their distance from the fire and think about how Clarke knows about the suits melting and the results. Leave Clarke alone and we’ll let you know if anything happens that affects your girlfriend.”

Bellamy accepted the strictures and went to make the radio call. He didn’t want to think about the effects of the suits melting onto the skin and what it would have meant for Clarke to have to deal with that all by herself: the immense pain she must have been in. All the while she was making sure to keep herself and the babies she was carrying alive, to be waiting for his return; he was mourning her supposed death and moving on to love another.

While it was true that he was too scared to tell Clarke about Echo when they reunited, his fear wasn’t because of what he was sure everyone thought. No, Bellamy was scared because he was so enjoying that time of it being he and Clarke again, together, and he knew that telling Clarke about Echo would bring it to an end, possibly forever. The longer he put it off, the more time they would have together. Until it was too late. If he had only told Clarke before she found out by seeing him and Echo kissing, it was possible that they might have been able to find their way back to each other – if he had ended things with Echo as soon as he saw her again. But he was too greedy and was left with nothing.

Until Clarke had reared away from him, he hadn’t realised that he had banked on the notion that they would at least be able to return to their former close friendship. That idea was laid to rest. When he thought Clarke had died he mourned the loss of the love of his life, his soulmate; now he knew he had to mourn the loss of his best friend. His best friend was gone too, she died, and praimfaya didn’t kill her – he did.

Echo knew by the tone of Bellamy’s voice over the radio call that something was wrong: but she also knew that he would never tell her anything about what was bothering him if it was of a personal nature unless it was in person, so it would have to wait until the team returned to Beccaston. Echo just hoped that whatever it was wouldn’t cause Bellamy to spiral into depression until she got there.

The two rovers met up and waited to be told that the fire had taken hold and that they should return home. It was possible that the wind would change direction and they would have circle around the valley to re-start the fire. It turned out that the fire didn’t take on the north-northwest part of the valley so they did need to cover that point and to make sure that the western side all burned too. They ended up having to fire the western side two times before they were told they could return home.

All the time they were close to the fire it was moving away from them: the wall of heat and destruction was on the path away and not towards them. Echo, Murphy, Ferra and Kochi all thought about how it would be if it was coming towards them instead of away.

“And Clarke had to run with it snapping at her heals” Murphy said.

“And burning the clothes off her back” Kochi added because she knew about the physical scars Clarke still wore.

“That’s how she knew to let us know that the heat melts the suits” Echo surmised. “Let’s return home, I want a shower and my bed.”

The other three could all get behind that point.

Echo talked to Bellamy about the mission, or she tried to. Bellamy didn’t seem to be at all interested until Echo said that they all felt for Clarke for seeing, and feeling, the wall of praimfaya rushing towards her.

“I thought if I waited and gave her space that I could get Clarke back as my friend again, even if she wouldn’t be my best friend” Bellamy said as Echo realised that something must have happened to bring home to Bellamy that Clarke is no longer his in any way.

“I think that has always been unrealistic” Echo replied calmly.

“But I was still her friend when she was in love with Lexa!” he cried.

“No you weren’t, you sided with Pike and killed 300 people who were there to protect you” Echo countered.

“Afterwards I was still her friend even though she was in love with Lexa” Bellamy tried to justify his words.

“But you and she had never been together as a couple at that point. In fact everything I had heard about you suggested that you were with every other female except Clarke so she probably thought that you would never think of her that way. By the time we left Earth, you had made some sort of commitment to her, I don’t know exactly what was said between the two of you before we left her behind, but it was enough for Clarke to think that you would return to her and that you would be a family with your children. 

“As soon as possible after your return you should have apologised to Clarke for not thinking that she could have survived and told her about me. You betrayed your relationship with Clarke by not really thinking about the possibility of her surviving, and you betrayed us both by not telling her about me. In Clarke’s position I would have killed you. You are lucky that she is nicer than I” Echo spoke without any inflection.

Judging by the look on Bellamy’s face, Echo wondered if their relationship would survive the next few minutes, let alone hours, days, months, years.

“But I love her!”

“I know. I was surprised that you chose me over her” Echo admitted.

“But I love you too. And I love you differently. You are my chosen. Clarke was my chosen but we were both changed by the separation, especially me since I assumed her death, mourned her before moving on and we would not suit now. Why can’t she see that and be my friend again?”

Echo sighed in relief at Bellamy’s words: their own relationship was secure, but Bellamy’s understanding of what he did wrong was not. “And if you had calmly and apologetically explained that then I am sure that by now you would have become friends again.”

“But I didn’t, so we’re not” Bellamy was sad.

“I’m afraid so. Your lack of honesty, and care for Clarke’s feelings mean that she no longer trusts you personally. Professionally Clarke still heeds your words, but any personal trust is completely gone.”

“I’m sorry that I never thought about what you have experienced with praimfaya” Indra said to Clarke as the two of them were sitting with Charmaine after Clarke had spent some time with her children to help her recover from the flashback of seeing a wall of fire.

“Yeah, I know you told me something about it, but to be honest I thought most of what you were saying was hooey” Charmaine added.

“Spacekru and I were going up to the ring via Becca’s rocket but while trying to retrofit it to take eight of us the communications got destroyed. That meant we had to switch the power on to the ring from Earth and the only way to do that was to send a signal from a satellite tower. Raven thought that I should be able to do it from the ground but I had to climb the tower and re-align the satellite. That meant that I didn’t have time to get back to the lab to leave with them. I saw the rocket take off while I was half way up the tower.

“To be honest, I don’t know how I made it back to the lab before the death wave hit me. I fell as I was running back and my helmet cracked and my face was covered in radiation burns. My suit melted from the heat of the fire. I collapsed into the lab in a pool of blood and I felt the wave ride over. I came to and tried to remove my suit but ended up pulling away chunks of skin with it where it had melted and cooled again, but since my helmet was damaged it fell off as I collapsed, thus saving my head from the same fate.

“I stayed in the lab for about six weeks. My black blood helped with the healing and the lab had water and minimal rations left by the others. I tried to contact the ring and the bunker but couldn’t get through. When I was healed sufficient I gathered what I could and began the hike to Polis. By pure luck I found the rover buried under a ton of sand and was able to get it working. As you both know the entrance to the bunker was buried under the rubble of the fallen tower and I tried to dig my way through but failed. After that, I went to Arkadia, the place where Skaikru had been based” Clarke explained to Charmaine, “but there was nothing much there. I salvaged what I could and set off to explore.

“I got trapped in the desert by the sandstorms. The solar panels were destroyed and the rover unusable. I began to walk through the desert. It was probably my lowest point since it hadn’t started to rain yet and I had no water. I collapsed and came to to find my arm being pecked on by a crow. I followed the crow and eventually found the valley. 

“Surprisingly, it was Madi, who led me into a bear trap when we first met, who asked why I was getting fat when I ate no more than she which led me to realise that I was pregnant. To be honest it was probably just as well that I didn’t realise earlier. It was having Madi to look after that kept me calm. I had to convince Madi that all would be well and was able to partly convince myself. I’m not saying giving birth to twins with no medical help and only the skills of an untrained seven year old was easy, but at least we had food, water and shelter.”

“From the things you do say, I think it had to be a lot harder than you make out” Charmaine said.

“I agree” said Indra. “I have been in one of those sand storms and we were marching in a direct route with rations while you had to have been wondering for a while without.”

“It was very hard and there were times when I thought that we might not make it, and times when I really didn’t want to, but once I had Madi and Blake and Griff, I knew I had to make sure that we survived so that when Spacekru came back, not that that was what I called them, we could all work together to open the bunker. I thought that with Raven’s brain, use of the rover, Bellamy’s determination to rescue his sister and at least some manpower we would get there in the end. Of-course I wasn’t thinking that they would be over a year late and that another prisoner drop ship would come first, but hey ho” Clarke was philosophical.

“And you didn’t bank on the Red Queen either” Charmaine pointed out.

“I don’t think any of us who didn’t live through the horrors of what went on down there could expect the Red Queen” Clarke offered. “Poor Octavia. She was far too young, and completely unprepared to be put in a position of power and I think having to exercise it destroyed her, If there is an afterlife, I hope she is getting all the care and support she needs to heal from what happened from her mom and Lincoln.”

“I think that for Lincoln, to live with what Octavia had to become, what he would have had to become given his time as a reaper, it would have destroyed him” Indra opined. “I think it is as well that he died when he did, just not how he did.”

Clarke could only agree: she had forgotten how Lincoln suffered through his time as a reaper and having to turn cannibal to survive would have broken him.

Charmaine naturally did not know the story of Lincoln, or about the reapers, so was enthralled with what she was told. “I guess Bellamy always had the potential for being a bit of an ass. A man of such extremes, he must give himself headaches with his constant change of direction. He seems to be a bit more emotionally stable now, thank goodness.”

Clarke half snorted at that comment and realised just how much the time spent on the ring changed Bellamy.

“Any recent news on how Raven is faring?” Charmaine asked Indra.

“No more stays in the see through suite anyway” Indra laughed. “She still doesn’t like the fact that there’s no doors on her house, but she has apparently commented on the fact that even with no doors, people knock on the side and wait for permission to enter. Perhaps she is learning. Have a talk with her when you come down and see if you think she’s ready to come back. She didn’t appreciate her loss of privacy and hates the knowledge that she has no real privacy in her current home and that anyone could walk in at any moment. Raven might appreciate how she treated you a bit more now.”

“I bet she enjoyed cutting off the power and water to those who insulted her” Charmaine said.

“Yes and her open delight was a stark contrast to how you announced her punishments. Jonesy pointed that out to her, that she took a bit too much pleasure and how she would have castigated you something awful if you had pronounced and carried out punishment with the same glee” Indra said. “I didn’t hear what she muttered in response but from the look on Jonesy’s face it wasn’t complementary to you; but that was a while ago.”

“I think that I might arrange for the building of a see through suite in Beccaston as a deterrent” Charmaine said. “It won’t only be for people who don’t respect other’s privacy, but for minor misdemeanours, a reminder that we’ve all got our eyes on them.”

Clarke returned to her home to find Thorne with all of her children looking through some books of Clarke’s sketches. Blake and Griff just seemed to be bored by it all – they had seen them so many times before, but Madi was smirking with a look that said she clearly knew something that the adults didn’t know.

“Okay, what’s going on here?” Clarke asked.

“Me and Griff were looking through your pictures for some of dad and auntie O before it all went to hell, I mean heck, to show Thorne but he keeps looking at one that he says is him but it’s one of before so can’t be him” Blake explained.

Clarke immediately knew what drawing had Throne so fascinated and gave Madi a conspirital smile. “Why don’t you go and show it to Echo, or Indra and ask them who it is?” Clarke suggested.

“I’m not going to like it, am I?” Thorne sighed.

“I actually don’t know how you will feel about it. I would prefer that you were flattered, but I’m not banking on it.”

“Come on, I’ll go with you and we can get Echo and Indra. Oooh, it would be better if Gran and Gramps were here, too” Madi said.

Madi didn’t give Thorne a choice when she grabbed him by his arm and dragged him to Echo and Bellamy’s home and asked Echo to join them with Indra. “You can come, too, if you want” she added to Bellamy.

Not having anything else to do, Bellamy joined them as they searched for Indra, who they found with Charmaine. Madi knew that Charmaine would enjoy the story, if it was all revealed,

“Sorry to interrupt” Madi said politely “but Thorne found some of Clarke’s drawings and came across one that he is convinced is him in fancy dress, although the clothes don’t look that fancy to me. We tried to tell him that the drawing was from before so it couldn’t be him but he won’t believe us. So, if Thorne shows you the drawing can you tell him who you think it is, please?”

“Of-course, if you think the drawing is good enough for us to recognise them” Indra said.

“If it’s like the drawings we found in the village, it will be” Charmaine vouched.

Thorne showed everyone the drawing.

“My King” Echo said to Bellamy’s annoyance.

“Bloody Roan” Bellamy said to Madi’s amusement.

“It is a very good likeness of the King” Indra said neutrally.

Madi and Charmaine looked at each other and burst out laughing at the consternation on all the others’ faces.

“What was this King bloke to Clarke?” Thorne asked.

“You will probably have to ask Clarke that one” Charmain suggested. “I think everyone else probably has a different idea of the answer and we don’t know which, if any, is the truth.”

Deciding that Charmaine was very probably right, Thorne decided to do just that – ask Clarke.

“Did you love him?” Thorne asked the question that bugged him.

“I adored him in some ways. I still miss him. It was your resemblance to Roan that made me ambivalent about getting involved personally with you. Once I got over how much you look like Roan and saw you instead of him when I looked at you, I was okay” Clarke offered. “I’m glad you don’t have long hair like Roan, though.”

“So you were in love with him” Thorne didn’t say it as a question.

“Eww, no!” Clarke scrunched her nose. “In my ideal world, Roan would be my big brother.”

“Then you would have been a real princess” Thorne said with a relieved smile.

“How do you know about that?” Clarke was shocked. She hadn’t heard anyone call her ‘Princess’ in a long time.

“I hear things” Thorne shrugged.

“But if I had been a real princess with Roan as my brother then I would have had Nia as my mother. Abby has many faults, but compared to Nia, she is an angel. So I guess in my ideal world, Roan would have been my big brother by choice, and he would have survived to lead the people with me as one of his advisers. But we don’t live in an ideal world and Roan is dead and I have to lead the people without him around to lean on.”

“I’m sorry that you lost him. I bet he would have beaten Bellamy to a pulp for you” Thorne offered.

At that mental picture, knowing how little Roan and Bellamy liked each other, Clarke laughed because Roan really would have relished the excuse to beat Bellamy to a pulp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The see through suite is basically a room made up of sheets of see through plastic. Given that there are layers, it's not completely see through but the resident would have little privacy. Next chapter will include a discussion between Clarke and Raven about how and why Raven was able to just barge into Clarke's home and Raven has to decide if she wants to return to Beccaston with all the temptation to get herself into trouble again, or stay in Phia. I haven't decided what I will go for yet so if any of you have a view, let me know.
> 
> Those who know my writing know that i am a Roarke shipper, but given that Clarke was in a loving relationship with Bellamy while Roan was still alive in this story, I had to make sure that there was no hint of Roarke so I went for the 'like a brother' scenario. As I was typing it, I was surprised at how right it seemed.


	7. chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made for the trip to Phia for the Harvest Festival.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has Raven taken the opportunity to get over her issues with Clarke or will she be even more intransigent?

“They look good” Clarke told Shaw. “I think there’s no mistaking them for the real thing. Where did you get the idea from?”

“We used to play with them as kids, except we just used plain water. Great on a hot summer’s day” Shaw replied as he handed over the bright plastic liquid shooters.

“And the dye won’t cause any long term harm?” Clarke wanted to be sure.

“None at all: it’ll wash off completely in a couple of days” Shaw assured Clarke.

“Okay then. What do you think, guys?” Clarke turned to Monty, Emori and Ethan.

“I don’t know what I think, but I hope it won’t be necessary” Monty said as he handled his bright green shooter.

“Of-course they’ll be necessary” Emori said as she gleefully stroked her bright red one.

“Mine’s no longer obvious so I hope I don’t need to use it much, but I expect it will get some use” Ethan said of his bright blue shooter.

“So you know what to do about everything and you’re sure you can handle it?” Clarke asked. “You know I’m going to call for a few people to stay and I don’t think anyone would blame you if you volunteered.”

“Raven would” Emori said. “We might not always agree with her, but she is family and to not take this opportunity to visit would be unforgivable. And you know how long Raven can hold a grudge.”

“Okay, but that doesn’t apply to you, Ethan” Clarke emphasised.

“No, but I want to find out if there is any chance of me being able to re-integrate with Wonkru so I need to do this” Ethan said.

Clarke called everyone to a quick meeting to announce that the people of Beccaston would be travelling to Phia for the harvest festival. They would be staying for two or three nights. “The purpose of the visit is for us all to spend time either getting to know each other or catching up, friendly and social. However” Clarke spoke over the excited murmurs “we will need at least three people to stay here to make sure everything runs smoothly in our absence. Are there any volunteers?”

Jonesy raised his hand, and on receiving an encouraging nod from Clarke spoke up. “Joe and I have spent quite a bit of time in Phia over the last few months helping Raven so we’ve already gotten to know most of the people. If Joe is okay with it, we could stay here, unless someone is willing to take charge of Joe if he wishes to go.”

Clarke looked over at the now 14 year old former Wonkru orphan in question. “If Shay is going to be there I would like to go again” he said.

“Alright, I’ll speak to Abby and Marcus and get back to you: we have one volunteer, any others?”

“I would be happy to stay” Cavendish said. Clarke nodded her agreement.

“Deke and I can stay to look after the farm” Kara said; “and we could have Sharin if Egan wanted to have a few days child free” she spoke of the little girl she carried as surrogate for Egan.

“If it was just over night I would probably take you up on that” Egan said; “but not for more than a couple of days: thanks for the offer, though.”

Clarke nodded then went on: “You will be there as guests. If you have a real problem with your hosts, let Charmaine know and she will either give advice on coping, or arrange for alternative accommodation. Madi will let you know about who your hosts will be and what accommodation you will have: some will have a bedroom, others will sleep in the home’s living room. If you don’t like it, suck it up and smile since it is only for a couple of nights.”

Charmaine then spoke about the type of behaviour she would expect and of the type of punishments that prevail in Wonkru. There were a few audible gulps.

Spacekru were surprised to discover that they were not all sharing the house that Raven had been living in while in Phia. Clarke, Indra and Charmaine had agreed that they didn’t want to encourage that little coterie to persist so were encouraging more mixing with the other peoples. They had discussed the different people to try to match them up with those they were likely to be able to form a bond. The biggest problem was Murphy and Emori since many of Wonkru regard her as a freak and finding people who were happy to house her was a problem but eventually a former skaikru computer engineer who had persuaded his housemates to accept her (he also pointed out that it would reflect badly on them if they were penalised for breaking the rule of not insulting their guests when one of them was staying with them). Indra had suggested that they stay with either Abby and Marcus or with Jackson but Clarke wanted Carter and Sara to stay with Jackson (it was about time Jackson moved on from Miller and Carter was a lovely man so she was giving them a little push) and the house that Abby and Marcus were staying in was a little crowded with the two children, three for the visit since Abby and Marcus agreed that Joe could stay with them for the duration.

Echo and Bellamy travelled to Phia with Clarke, Madi, Thorne, Charmaine and all the children a few days before everyone else was going in the drop ship. Clarke wanted to get the issue of Raven sorted before everyone else arrived. Everyone knew that it was not going to be pretty.

Bellamy and Echo were allowed to meet with Raven privately first.

Charmaine wanted to bug the room but Clarke insisted that since she said it would be private, she would keep her word. Charmaine agreed, reluctantly, but Indra did not. Indra wanted to know if insurrection was plotted or threatened. She arranged for someone to be by the door to listen carefully to what was said. The report was that there was a lot of complaining about things being ‘not fair’ and for pleas for Raven to ‘let it go’ but no plans, or wishes to overthrow Wanheda were voiced. Indra was pleased.

“Raven, while we’re in here for this meeting, nothing you say will be held against you” Clarke said. “Take this opportunity to get everything off your chest, all your complaints, everything because when we leave this room you will be expected to be a civil, respectful member of Clarke’skru.”

At Raven’s snort, Clarke added “Come on Raven, what have I done that is so bad that you can’t bring yourself to be civil for the sake of everyone else?”

“That there” Raven said derisively as Echo shook her head. “You can’t even see it, can you? You’ve done so many bad things and you don’t even see it.”

“Raven, a year ago you were not talking to me or about me in such a way, so what did I do that led to the change in attitude?” Clarke persisted.

“Yeah a year ago I was still living under illusion that you had changed, that you no longer stole other women’s men, that you regretted ever doing so. Now I know better” Raven sounded so sure of her words.

“When have I ever stolen anyone’s man? The nearest that I can think of is when Finn cheated on you with me and didn’t let me know that you even existed. You can’t surely hold that against me?” Clarke was amazed.

“Even when I came down Finn couldn’t leave you alone. He and I stood no chance with you in the way and then you killed him. He loved you and you killed him” Raven was bitter.

“Finn didn’t love me” Clarke was sure. “Finn was for some reason obsessed with me and he couldn’t understand that once I learned about you I wanted nothing to do with him. He killed 18 innocents and if I hadn’t given him a quick death he would have been tortured to death. You should be grateful to me instead of hating me for it.”

“I gave you the knife for you to kill Lexa not Finn!” Raven shouted.

“And all your people would have been killed if she had” Indra intoned. “How could that have been what you wanted?”

“Then she should have died in his place!” Raven persisted.

“Wanheda Clarke offered but the Commander said that Finn must die and if anyone had tried to stop his death then they, too, would have been killed. If it was known that you gave Wanheda Clarke a knife in order to kill the Commander then you would also have been put to death. There was no outcome other than Finn would die that night. The only other possibility is that others would have died as well as Finn. I repeat, how could you want for that to happen?” Indra pushed Raven.

“Finn didn’t deserve to die like that” Raven said and everyone at the table shook their head in sadness.

“Finn killed 18 innocents, injured many others and terrified a whole village. What do you think someone would deserve if they had walked into you home and did that?” Madi asked.

“He was sick!” Raven ignored the question.

“What do you think someone deserves who does what Finn did?” Charmaine asked Madi’s question again.

“Finn deserved help and understanding” Raven said.

Most of the others in the room managed to hide their snorts of disbelief at that.

“But given that I could think of no way to save Finn’s life, and had to kill one of my own people so that he wouldn’t be tortured and could only hope that there would be no backlash for it, why do I not get help and understanding?” Clarke asked. 

“Because you don’t deserve it” Raven spat.

“Okay, Raven, I can see that you are not going to waver from your point of view, even though you seemed to be able to get over it before. What other men have I tried to take from their women?” Clarke asked.

“You tried to take Bellamy from Echo” Raven was interrupted by both Charmaine and Echo snorting while Clarke just stared at Raven in disbelief.

“I promise you that I have never tried to take Bellamy from Echo. In fact I wouldn’t take Bellamy if he came gift wrapped. I have no idea where you could possibly have gotten the idea that I did” Clarke said.

“Then why is there all this tension between you? If you didn’t come on to him only to be knocked down, why aren’t you best buds again?” Raven asked so sure that she had unearthed the issue.

“There is this tension between us because he seems to think that we should be, in your words, ‘best buds’ again and I don’t want to be friends with someone who could behave the way he has. To me there is no difference between him and Finn except Finn was a relative child and had the ignorance of youth as a mitigating factor when he forgot about you. Bellamy had no excuse for the way he behaved. Echo chose to forgive him. I did not” Clarke was adamant.

“Why would Echo need to forgive him? He did not betray her” Raven was shocked.

“Yes he did” Echo said. “When we first landed he didn’t tell Clarke about me and only let her find out when she saw us reuniting. In the first rush of finding out that Clarke was alive he forgot about me and our relationship and led Clarke on to believe that they would pick up where they left off. Even Bellamy will acknowledge that. I informed Bellamy that he is lucky that Clarke is nicer than I because in her place I would have killed him and me, no hesitation.”

“Oh it wasn’t because I am nicer” Clarke reassured Echo; “it’s because my children come first and they were so looking forward to being with their dad and I would not disappoint them. You and Bellamy have disappointed them enough and for me to take away what they could have is beyond me. I do not understand any parent not putting their children first, regardless of their own feelings.”

Raven seemed a little subdued at that. “What about Zeke?” she asked.

Everyone looked a little puzzled at that. “What about Shaw?” Clarke asked.

“You wanted him at one time” Raven pushed.

Clarke couldn’t help it: she laughed. “I assure you that at no time have I ever wanted Shaw. What on earth ever gave you the idea that I did? Did he think that I wanted him?”

“He said you didn’t but I could tell that you did” Raven said. “You made sure that I knew that you knew you could give him things that I couldn’t, like a motor bike. I found the bike but you were the one to let Zeke get to ride it. How was that fair?”

“I remember saying something that I knew he missed riding his bike, but how does that translate as me wanting him? I remember wanting to give all my people things that they enjoyed. I know I stopped Charmaine from enjoying using the collars too much and Echo from carrying her sword around with her but both get to enjoy their training and target practice. I thought the balance was good” Clarke was starting to sound worried.

“Don’t worry, I get plenty of enjoyment out of life” Charmaine consoled.

“And I have learned to enjoy the freedom from carrying a weapon when I am not on duty or training” Echo reassured. “But I do not ever think that you gave more to Shaw than you gave to any of the rest of us; but how did you know that he would like the bike?”

“When I was being interrogated by Charmaine and McCreary, Shaw played the good guy and told me about his life before the bombs in an effort to get me to open up, I’m sure, but he told me that he really missed his motor bike and I remembered that” Clarke explained. “You can either believe that I never made a play for Shaw or not, but you can accept that he wouldn’t take me or any other woman up on any offers that could be forthcoming.”

“Then why isn’t he here?” Raven asked.

“He wasn’t invited” Charmaine replied. “Shaw will be here with the rest of the Islanders tomorrow. I admit that if we had any inclination that he was part of your problem we would have brought him with us: as it is we brought Bellamy and Echo to be support for you not because we thought they were a reason for your bad attitude. What other issues do you have?”

“Why are you never sorry for all the deaths you cause?” Raven pushed.

“I’m almost always sorry when people die. I never wanted to decide who lived or who died, contrary to the things you used to say to me” Clarke said.

“Okay you may be sorry, but it doesn’t stop you killing them, does it?”

“Which deaths do you hold against me because the only ones I feel responsible for were ones that saved your life, amongst others?” Clarke pushed.

“Well, for starters there’s the ring of fire. Do you deny that you’re responsible for that?” Raven pushed.

“Well it was my idea, I completely agree, but who was it who made it possible? Oh yes, you and Jasper. And if I hadn’t had that idea, how many of us would have survived? That’s right, none of us so while I am sorry that 300 warriors died I am not sorry that I managed to come up with a plan to save my people. Try again” Clarke pushed.

“You killed everyone in Mt Weather, even those who were on our side like Maya and after that you left us to cavort with the woman who abandoned us” Raven was as bitter about Clarke’s relationship with Lexa as she was about anything else. 

“Firstly, did you forget that you were actually on the table having your hip drilled when I warned Cage what I was about to do if he didn’t stop? Also, without Monty’s help I wouldn’t have been able to do it since he was the one who reversed the airflow. It was because of Maya’s death that I needed to get away for a while. I was so eaten up with guilt that I couldn’t stay. How can you say on the one hand that I don’t care about killing people and then complain that I need time when I am so eaten up with guilt? And for my relationship with Lexa: well yes, I was very hurt and betrayed when we were abandoned at the mountain. I think it was the wrong decision on so many levels, but I do understand that Lexa truly believed that she was saving her people, something she had sworn to do. Lexa, like all of us, was human with strengths and weaknesses and I came to love her because of both. What else?”

“Your lovely list of 100 people who you deemed worthy of being saved. That truly was a masterpiece” Raven snorted.

Clarke couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You mean that list that you insisted that I had to write up? The list that for some reason had to be me even though it was Bellamy who made it necessary? Is that the list you are on about?”

“Well you didn’t have to put your own name on it, did you?” Raven was subdued.

“I didn’t” Clarke didn’t expand and Raven’s head shot up in surprise. “Anything else?”

“What about those you killed since praimfaya?” Raven was clutching at straws.

“Let me think, there’s those who found Madi and wanted to have some fun with her, so no, not sorry about those; there’s the idiot who wouldn’t follow instructions and got infected with worms, so a bit sorry for him but there was no saving him. I don’t think I’ve killed any others” Clarke explained.

“Octavia and Miller” Raven said in shock.

“Miller killed himself when he didn’t want to face the consequences of his actions” Indra said. “Octavia said he was to be demoted to janitor because he lied to her and he definitely tried to kill Clarke; and he did not want the demotion or loss of status so he took his own life.”

“And I killed Octavia because she held a blade to the neck of a child and threatened to kill him so I’m not at all sorry” Charmaine said. “But I fail to see how that could be held against Clarke at all.”

“Look, I think it is obvious that the logic is having no effect on your feelings” Madi said. “I think we just need your assurance that you won’t let your personal feelings affect your ability to respect your Heda.”

The others could only nod their heads in agreement with Madi’s words, but Clarke added “if you can’t perhaps you should just stay here so you won’t have to see or take instructions from me very much. After the harvest festival the doors will be put back on in the house and you will be given all the rights, responsibilities and protections of Wonkru if you choose to stay.”

Raven and Echo looked at each other: Echo looked like she was pleading with Raven while Raven looked like she was demanding something from Echo; something that was not forthcoming and she was not happy.

“If I stay here, can my friends stay with me?” Raven asked.

“I would have no objections but it is up to Charmaine, and in particular Indra, if they want to lose or accept the others, and of-course your friends if they want to move” Clarke offered.

“Very well, I will stay here with my friends” Raven said and Clarke had the feeling she was going to regret that when her friends didn’t want to stay here with her.

Clarke’s next meeting, albeit an informal meeting, was with Abby and Marcus. They, too, had decided that they wanted to stay with Wonkru.

“I know that I won’t get to see my grandchildren as much” Abby said “but at least this way I will get to see them because we all know that if I stayed with you I would at some point cross the line and potentially end up banished and Malc needs the stability.”

Clarke could only agree with Abby’s conclusion, but … “what about Shay?”

It was Marcus who answered that question. “Shay wants to stay in Beccaston and work with Shaw who has agreed that if you allow, he will be Shay’s mentor much like Monty is Ethans.”

Clarke thought for a second before asking “what about the fact that Raven is staying here? Will that affect either Shay’s or Shaw’s decision?”

“No” Abby said. “Shay finds Raven to be too strident and she much prefers Shaw for training. Also, we raised this as a possibility with Shaw and he said that he won’t leave Beccaston except for short term work issues. Shay wants to be an engineer and thinks that she will learn more using the computer and being guided by Shaw then being in Phia. In fact I think that Raven being here will be another reason Shay will want to be in Beccaston.”

“And she doesn’t like being part of Wonkru as opposed to being an Islander” Marcus added. “Shay noticed the difference between the two krus, especially with regard to Ethan, and likes the Islanders better. I think she missed Ethan and Madi in particular while here.”

Clarke understood that: Ethan and Madi were closest in age to Shay so it was right that she would miss socialising with youngsters of a similar age.

Before everyone left Beccaston, Clarke and Charmaine called Shaw to confirm that he would not be moving to Phia with Raven, and that he was happy to take on responsibility of Shay as a mentor.

“Raven decided she would act out knowing the consequence was likely to be her leaving me in Beccaston: she also unilaterally decided that she would stay in Phia without consulting me. I have no problem in stating categorically that I do not wish to move away from Beccaston to live with Raven in Phia. I have no idea if that will cause Raven to change her mind but it does not affect me. I am content to be a mentor for Shay and to help her develop her talents in the engineering field through both theoretical and practical study. I can also help her learn her common curriculum stuff on the occasions that we’re out and about” Shaw was most decided and both Clarke and Charmaine rather thought that it signalled the end of the relationship between Raven and Shaw.

“I shall go to Beccaston to talk to Raven and to spend a bit more time with Shay before bringing her back here but I think that Bellamy or Echo will be the only ones who will be able to get through to her, if anyone can. If she changes her mind she’ll need new accommodation here” and that was all that Shaw would say on the matter.

Shaw did take the opportunity to talk to the others of Spacekru to let them know the situation. “I won’t advise you what to do, but I think you’ll make better decisions if you have time to think about it and talk it through a bit between you all before you go.”

“I can’t stay there” Emori said.

“And I go where Emori goes” Murphy said.

“I don’t want to leave Raven alone friendless, but I don’t think that I could spend a great amount of time there” Harper. “I know things are changing for the better but there’s still a great divide between the two of us and I still feel that Beccaston is safer for us than Phia.”

“I think that’s because it’s smaller and we are used to living in a small group” Monty said. “I still feel a little lost with how much Beccaston has grown sometimes. Phia would overwhelm me if I had to live there.”

“Yeah, anyway that’s between you. I’m going to get out of here and pack up the rest of Raven’s things. I’ll give them to her when I talk to her – which I’ll do as soon as I get there, so you might need to be ready to step into the breach to stop what rampant Raven will undoubtedly do without being cut off at the pass” Shaw said as he left the rest of the gang to talk about the potential for fireworks when they spoke with Raven.

“That leaves you Echo” Bellamy said when the others reported the conversation with them. “I know that you don’t want to have to choose between me and your best friend, so I’ll tell you that I still want you, even if we have to live in a long distance relationship until the boys are older. Decide knowing that as far as I’m concerned you are not choosing one over the other. If you can’t decide based off your own wants, perhaps think about choosing the one who you think needs you the most. But in any case, I will support whatever decision you make and still be Echo’s Bellamy.”

Echo stared at her love and wondered why Raven was doing this to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah poor Echo, having to choose between living with Bellamy or Raven. I guess there maybe other issues that she will want to consider that haven't occurred to fairly insular spacekru yet.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raven gets a wake up call and the festival begins.

Raven was genuinely shocked when the rest of her friends arrived from Beccaston and didn’t immediately tell her that they were so sorry that she had been so badly mistreated and couldn’t wait to join her. She was even more shocked when Zeke handed over all her personal belongings that were still in Beccaston and said that he was sorry that Raven didn’t care enough about him or their relationship to make the effort to return home to him so he wasn’t going to wait for her any longer and that this was goodbye as far as their personal relationship went.

“No doubt we will still have to interact over work issues at some point, but I’m sure we can be mature enough not to let our private difficulties interfere with our professional ethics” Shaw said as he left Raven stewing.

“I’m so sorry Raven” Emori said as she wrapped her arms around her friend. “Shaw told us why he wanted to speak with you first. He waited for you until he heard that you had chosen to stay here without talking to him first. I think he wanted you to make it clear that you at least considered him when you made your decision. Do you think you will ever want to come back to Beccaston so that we can all be re-united?”

“What do you mean be re-united?” Raven asked. “Surely you will all relocate here with me?”

“Rae, you know that Bellamy can’t because of the boys” Echo said.

“Those bloody brats ruin everything!” Raven exclaimed.

“Those boys, one of whom you almost killed and have still yet to apologise for it, are my beloved sons” Bellamy said; “and since you can’t see that then I can’t see you” Bellamy shook his head sadly as he walked out.

“That was totally uncalled for Raven” Harper said sadly. “Why would you say that about those children when you know how much Bellamy loves his family?”

“But we are his family” Raven almost shouted.

“Yes we are” Echo agreed, “but so are Blake and Griff. You were told that Bellamy would not leave his sons so why did you choose to leave us?”

“I thought that he would have had enough of being a part time dad to her brats and that you and he would have made your own family. You don’t want to bring up children that are not of you and he so why would he want to help bring up children that are not part of you?” Raven clearly didn’t understand.

“Raven, Bellamy is different. He wants to be part of his son’s lives, you know this. Perhaps he wants a chance at a better outcome than what happened to Octavia, or perhaps he just loves them and is so sad that he missed the first five years of their lives and he wants to make sure he doesn’t miss any more time with them. Emori and Murphy don’t care at all about the DNA of any children they raise – part of both of them, one of them or neither of them. We are all different in this. We respect your point of view so why can’t you respect Bellamy’s?” Harper was sad.

“Because we were his family first so he should pick us first” Raven said.

“But Raven, why would he pick you first when you’re not picking him at all?” Emori asked. “Besides, Clarke, Blake and Griff were his family first, he just didn’t know it and now he does and he wants to be with them: we all understand and accept that, even Echo, so why can’t you? Murphy and I aren’t staying here. There is no way I want to live with Wonkru. I like the acceptance that I get at Beccaston and I won’t live here where I know I won’t be wanted. We told you that before you came here and it hasn’t changed.”

“So you’re not picking me either?” Raven was getting angry again.

“I can’t live with Wonkru either” Monty added. “I find it hard enough with the population of Beccaston, but there’s just too many here.”

“So you’re abandoning me too. I suppose you won’t go where Monty doesn’t go” Raven looked at Harper bitterly.

“No. Why didn’t you talk to us before declaring that you were staying here? You could still change your mind” Harper tried to help, ignoring Raven’s meanness. “I’m sure that Clarke would agree to you moving back” and Harper blew it.

“I’m not going to ask that bitch for any favours.”

“Ask Charmaine then, or let one of us ask” Harper tried again to ignore how nasty and selfish Raven was being.

Raven tried to think of a way to recover at least some of what she lost without losing too much face and she just couldn’t do it.

“How about we all talk to Indra, and suggest that once all the houses are built and your work here on that end is done it would be a good time for you to move back to Beccaston?” Murphy suggested.

Raven thought about it: the house building would be halted for winter soon, and wouldn’t take long to finish once building started again in spring: they could pull this one off.

And it was agreed that Raven would stay until all the homes, businesses and community structures were built and then return to Beccaston. During Winter, while there was no building work being carried out, Raven would ensure that at least two members of Wonkru were au fait with the basic maintenance of the heating, lighting and water systems even though either Raven or Shaw would be needed for major repairs. Indra nodded to Raven in approval when she asked for that caveat to her remaining in Phia.

It didn’t take long for Emori to have to use her dye pistol. In fact as soon as she was on her way to meet up with her and John’s hosts she was referred to as the freak that should have been allowed to die. The shock on his face as he was splattered with red dye was good.

“I have a deformed hand not deformed hearing” Emori stated. “And it is at least better than having a deformed brain.”

In accordance with the agreed procedures, when Indra pointed out the home of the one with the red dye, Emori entered and disconnected the power. It didn’t take more than two more disconnections for the people of Wonkru to realise what was going on. Emori apologised to the Beccaston people when she learned which people were staying at homes with the power disconnected.

“Don’t worry, we’ll set them right while we slum it for a while” Emori was told. “We’ll just point out that you know how to fix things like this while we, and they, don’t.”

Ethan had to use his dye pistol just the once. He was able to go into a home to disconnect the water, or to lightly dab a touch of very watered down coma inducing algae onto some food if the water had already been disconnected. Tricia asked if she could be reassigned since she had no desire to stay with people like that and she didn’t understand why she and her child should have to suffer because of their attitude. Charmaine offered to let Tricia use the facilities at the home she was sharing with Indra if she would keep her currently assigned sleeping quarters. Tricia agreed provided she was allowed to discourse at length on the stupidity of people.

The next day everyone was called to a meeting in the village square. It was a bit of a tight squeeze since they didn’t plan to have a meeting place where everyone could gather at the same time. It was something that both Charmaine and Clarke thought they would learn from.

Indra said how very disappointed she was that already power and water had been disconnected in some homes because some members of Wonkru could not think before they spoke. “All the people of Beccaston are visiting as our guests, our honoured and welcome guests. Wanheda Clarke has already reminded us that everyone can learn to contribute to the welfare of the clan and as such all should be valued. The people that you chose to disparage have the knowledge and ability to connect and disconnect the power and water to your homes. They have the ability to farm and grow the food that we eat; the food that tonight we celebrate and give thanks. We have had a plentiful year with no one starving or going without. It will be a little harder over winter, but thanks to the knowledge and work of our farmers, and the guidance of our Heda, we have enough to see us through. Tonight we celebrate our return to the surface and our unity. We are Wonkru, allied and joined with the Islanders of Beccaston and led by the wise and compassionate Wanheda Clarke.” When the cheering had settled Indra called on everyone to carry on preparing for the celebration

Indra informed both Clarke and Charmaine of Raven’s decision to return to Beccaston once all the building work had been completed. “I think she was disappointed that none of her friends wanted to remain here with her” Indra added. The other two leaders could only agree. 

Clarke hoped that Raven would learn to show respect, even if she felt none, so that she didn’t end up exiled to the Polis bunker. Raven was an intelligent woman and no-one could work out or understand why she had suddenly taken it into her head to hate Clarke. She knew there had to be a reason, and it wasn’t one of the stupid excuses Raven kept spouting when she was challenged. Clarke decided to talk to her mom and to Jackson about it to see if either of them had any ideas.

To mark the official start of the harvest festival Clarke stood to address her people. The slightly jovial atmosphere of the crowd morphed into one of apprehension. Many had let themselves forget that Wanheda had chosen to take in and give important work to the freikdreina, valuing them and all that they had overcome and that it was by her decree that they should not be insulted; and now she was present to see all who were marked by the dye. Many remembered that Wanheda was the fiercest warrior of them all and could probably command their death just by looking at them and there was no hiding who had broken one of her laws.

“Hello, kru!” Clarke called out. “Isn’t this a wonderful day? This is a day that not too long ago we thought might never come and one that we rightly celebrate. We celebrate the bounty of the earth and of our farms. We celebrate the homes that our people have built. We celebrate the air that we have been freed to breathe. We also celebrate all the new members of our people, the children who will grow to ensure that our legacy lives on and that our sacrifices, and the sacrifices of those who have passed, were not in vain. Most importantly of all, we celebrate all the people that we have who have laboured hard to make sure that we are here to give thanks for all these wondrous bounties of which we have been bestowed. As Indra said earlier, winter will not be as bountiful, but thanks to the brilliance of our engineering team led by Raven, you will all have homes that can be kept warm even without the trees to burn – provided you don’t get your power turned off because of your own foolish choices of-course. It will be very cold without heating and I am sure that those who share your home will not be happy if they have to suffer with you” Clarke pointed out the uncomfortable consequences for those unwilling to change their behaviour. “Thanks to our skilled farmers you will all have food to eat – provided you don’t get penalised because of your choices with regard to our dedicated farmers who have not let adversity prevent them from contributing to your welfare” the point was pushed home.

“Most of the physical tasks that you have all been working so hard on over the past few months will be on pause when winter sets in. You will take this time to learn other skills – reading, writing, understanding basic tech like the radio; and if you have other skills that might be useful to us, like animal husbandry, come forward so that we can work out how best to utilise your prowess for the benefit of all our people, for example perhaps you could help teach.

“I do not make the mistake of thinking that all will now be well: it won’t. We have much more work to do before we can fully heal from the past. Next year we have to make sure that there are no more worm eggs in Eden: it will be a long, arduous job; but one that is necessary if we want to be able to release animals once the forest has regrown so that one day people can live there as we all had hoped to do.

“My thanks go to Indra and Charmaine who have shown how very devoted they are to you and your welfare and I am sure that is reciprocated, at least by most of you. I am very grateful for all the work that has gone into organising this celebration. I trust that we will all enjoy it and that it will be the first of many.”

The festivities began with a dance by some of the younger adults of Wonkru. They were told that it was a fertility dance for both the people and the ground. The idea was that as well as thanking the Gods for the blessings of the past, they ask for more blessings in the future. Indra told Clarke that it was a way to get back to their roots of respecting nature and not thinking that they were above her. Clarke didn’t disagree with the idea, but she did want to make sure that it didn’t progress to a new religion: the one they had currently was enough! Little did Indra know, though, that the dance was in part to call upon the Gods to provide strong night bloods so that the Spirit of the Commanders’ had a good selection from which to choose when the time came.

“Just think, little night bleeder, one day soon this will all be part of your domain” Gaia said to Madi as she was watching the dance, admiring its smooth, flowing movements.

“I’m sorry, are you threatening the life of my mother?” Madi picked up on the word ‘soon’.

“No, little night bleeder” Gaia tried to reassure; “I am merely pointing out that soon you will be of 16 years and will be able to take the flame according to the laws that make you an adult.”

Madi was young, but not slow. “You mean that was why you pushed for the age of adulthood to be formalised at 16. Wow, sneaky. I don’t think it changes mom’s decision that I have to be 18 before she will allow me to even consider taking the flame, though and since she is in charge it is her words that count.”

“But once you have the flame there is nothing that Wanheda could do. You would be the rightful Commander of Wonkru and Wanheda would learn to bow down to you” Gaia insisted.

“Listen here, my mother will never bow down to me, no matter what the circumstances are: and if ever anyone ever did something to try to force her to, I would kill them myself. That is not a warning, or a threat; it is a promise. You will not speak to me again about this until I am aged 18 and my mother and our other advisers are present. I hope I am clear for I will not repeat this” Madi was eerily threatening.

Gaia was almost nervous until she realised that Madi’s strength would only be enhanced by receiving the flame. With the previous Commanders to help Madi she would be a phenomenal Heda. No, she would not speak of it again to Madi, but Gaia would ensure that Madi reached the height of her destiny, no matter how upset she would be by the method of getting her there. Gaia had no doubt that once the flame had accepted Madi, as it would do, then Madi would accept and honour the flame and all that would come with it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke, Charmaine and Indra realise that Gaia is not going to wait for Madi to reach 18 before trying to make her Commander.

Madi immediately let Clarke know what Gaia said to her and how she responded.

“Thank you, sweetheart” Clarke said. “I think I need to have a word with Indra and Charmaine. I also think I need to find out a little more about what is going on here. I think I’ll send the younger ones home with their fathers: do you want to stay here with me for a while or return to Beccaston?”

“If we can keep Gaia and her followers from harassing me then I would like to stay here with you. I think I need to understand the people more” Madi offered, hoping that she wasn’t coming across as too pushy.

“You are right: as my heir and one of my advisers you need to know all the people. I’ll go and talk to Thorne and Bellamy about the children, then Indra and Charmaine about Gaia. The four of us can discuss a plan after the festival and when everyone else has returned home. I think they should return tomorrow after lunch and not stay another night. I’m proud of you: you are going to be a wonderful leader for our people.”

Madi preened a little under her mother’s pride. She was glad that it wasn’t the colour of her blood that Clarke thought made Madi a good leader, but rather it was the way she used her brain. She knew it was too early to say whether or not Mason or Maya would take after their mother rather than their father, but Madi hoped that one of them would demonstrate that they, too, could be a good leader so that, when the time came, the full weight of leadership would not rest solely on her own shoulders.

Clarke found Thorne quickly and asked him how he felt about having sole care for Maya and Mason for a few weeks. “It probably won’t be very pleasant at times” she warned. “They have never been parted from me for more than a few hours and they are going to throw the biggest hissy fit ever.”

“If you think you need to be here and prefer that they are back home then I am happy to take one for the team” Thorne replied.

“I haven’t spoken to Bellamy yet about Blake and Griff, but you and he could come to some agreement about them helping with Maya and Mason” Clarke offered.

“I actually think that Griff will insist on helping with them” Thorne snorted: Griff was a mini caretaker, the aspect of his personality that Clarke was convinced was the biggest contribution from his father.

Next Clarke found both Echo and Bellamy together. “I need to stay here for two or three weeks” Clarke said. “Bellamy, you will need to be the primary carer for Blake and Griff for that time. I’ll let them know. You will need to talk to Thorne about the logistics since Griff will insist on helping with Mason and Maya. Echo, this is a request, feel free to decline” Clarke checked that Echo accepted the assurance before she continued. “With me here, Raven might be better able to manage her dislike of me if she had a friend here too. Would you be willing to be here with Raven and return home when I do? If you agree, we can say that you are officially here as Madi’s guard if you don’t want it known that you are here to muzzle Raven.”

Echo and Bellamy looked at each other and smiled: they both knew that Echo would agree.

“Yes, I will stay and if anyone asks I am here as guard for Madi but since I can’t imagine that there would be any threat to Madi from Wonkru I am taking the opportunity to spend some time with my friend” Echo said.

Clarke merely nodded her acceptance of Echo’s words and went to talk to Indra and Charmaine about the new plan and to warn that they will need to agree a way forward with regards to Gaia and the flame.

Abby and Marcus agreed to keep Shay and Joe for another evening or two so that they could return to Beccaston with Charmaine, Faith and Hope when they were ready to leave.

Clarke thoroughly enjoyed seeing her people laugh, and dance, and sing; but for her the highlight was watching the children from Beccaston sing an adapted version of the old harvest song ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’. The song was a tribute to work of their farmers, but Clarke did note that the final chorus changed from ‘our farmers’ to ‘our Heda’ and smiled and waved in acknowledgement to them. Clarke really wanted Wonkru to move away from valuing their warriors more than others because she hoped that there would be less need for those who can fight and more reliance and value given to those who feed them.

Clarke kissed her children and babies as they left to go home with their fathers: it was going to be a long few weeks for them all, particularly Thorne, without Clarke there to know what they all needed before they even realised it themselves. Madi thought that it would be a good learning exercise for Thorne. Madi liked Thorne, but she thought that he was starting to take his role as Clarke’s partner and father of her children for granted and he needed a reminder that being a dad, rather than a sperm donor, required work and being Clarke’s partner required sacrifice.

Echo said her farewells without Raven. Although she would miss being with Bellamy, Echo was glad not to be there while he had full custody of the boys and she rather thought that Clarke was well aware of that when she asked Echo to stay.

“So why are you still here?” Raven asked Echo. “Are you here to make sure that I keep in line while bitch face is here?”

Echo sighed. Raven’s wording proved that her presence was truly needed. “No, but what you just said proves that you should have a minder if you’re not going to be muzzled. I was asked to stay here as Madi’s guard while she’s not with Clarke but I’m starting to think that I should recommend that I be here as your minder since I am not averse to knocking you out to keep you quiet. Why do you keep saying these sorts of things, Rae? Think what you want but keep those thoughts to yourself!”

“I thought you were my friend and that I could be honest around you” Raven snarked.

“I am your friend but there are other people around who could hear you and some of what you say borders on treason. Practice thinking nice thoughts about Clarke and engaging brain before opening mouth – isn’t that what you used to tell Murphy?” Echo suggested. “Also, you need to work out how you’re going to apologise to Bellamy.”

“What for? Why would I need to apologise to him?” Raven seemed genuinely surprised.

“You called his sons brats and said you thought he should abandon them. The idea of Bellamy abandoning any child let alone his own is ludicrous and you should know this.”

“I guess. It’s just that I hate that you have to see him play the doting father to Her kids” Raven tried to justify her earlier words.

“He is not playing, Bellamy is the doting father to his and Clarke’s sons. Raven, Bellamy loves Clarke; oh not the same way as he used to” Echo reassured on seeing the way that Raven was about to explode. “If he had known that she was alive he would have continued to be in love with her and there is no way he and I would have gotten together. Thinking Clarke had died changed him but even when he stopped being in love with Clarke and began to fall in love with me, he still loved her; and to be honest, I would expect nothing less. He wants for Clarke to be his friend again and is having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that that is not likely to ever happen: and now he is having to come to terms with the fact that he may have lost your friendship too. You need to apologise to him and make things right between the two of you.” Echo hoped she had given enough for Raven to seriously begin to think and change her ways.

“Very well” Indra was resigned. “We shall speak with Gaia and issue a formal warning.”

“I hope that once we set out the terms she will agree to bide her time” Charmaine added “because I would hate to be in your shoes if she doesn’t”.

Indra had never heard that particular saying before and needed Charmaine to explain its meaning. “No, it not something I would wish upon anyone” Indra agreed, thinking about her loss of Octavia and how it came about - not just the final shot, but gradually over time as Octavia was lost to Blodreina. And now she had to face the possibility of losing her daughter of blood because of her impatience.

“This is a formal warning to you, Gaia” Clarke said solemnly, “you threatened to go against a specific decree that you will not raise the issue of the flame with any of my children until they have reached the age of 18. Once Madi has reached 18 we can convene a meeting with interested parties to discuss the flame and the implications of Madi taking it. The choice will be Madi’s and only Madi’s. You will not raise it again or you will be charged with Treason and banished, and the flame will be destroyed to prevent either you, or one of your followers, from raising the issue again. It will be for you decide if your child be banished with you or be given to the care of a guardian. In order to make sure that does not happen, I ask you to allow me to take care of the flame until it is needed.”

Gaia looked shocked. Perhaps she had not expected that Madi would inform Clarke or their previous discussion, or that Clarke would take the matter as seriously as she did; but she did not expect a warning of banishment, nor a request for the flame to be handed over.

“I shall think on your words, Wanheda, and let you know tomorrow whether or not I shall entrust the keeping of the flame with you” Gaia prevaricated, stalling for time to think of a plan to circumvent Clarke’s edict.

The next day, after consulting with her closest followers, Gaia told Clarke that she understood Clarke’s words and would not raise the issue of the flame with Madi again until she was allowed by her Heda. “I cannot allow the flame to pass outside of my guardianship, though.”

“Very well. I shall trust you on this Gaia” Clarke agreed, knowing that it was a long shot. “Please do not put your mom through the pain of losing another beloved child, Gaia.”

“Do you think she will keep her word?” Charmaine asked Clarke once Indra had left them to carry out some other function.

“No” Clarke was unequivocal. “If we’re lucky, Gaia will bide her time but she will not wait until Madi is 18. She will push it by making sly ad hoc comments that she will argue are not directed at Madi in particular and she will probably try to whip up support for the flame among the general populace of Wonkru so that I will have a mutiny on my hands when I try to banish her.”

“What will you do then?” Charmaine asked.

“Quell the mutiny, allow all those who feel as strongly as Gaia to live with her in Polis, destroy the flame and, if necessary, kill Gaia. I really do hope it doesn’t come to that, though. Indra deserves better” Clarke was emphatic.

“And if we’re not lucky about what she’ll do?” Charmaine asked.

“She’ll arrange a surreptitious, forced ascension on Madi which she believes means that Madi will take the advice of the former Commanders and take over the leadership of Wonkru in the first instance and then once she has the backing of all the warriors she will challenge me for control of the Islanders too. I think Madi will be strong enough to overrule the flame at first but it will not be easy for her and she will be plagued by horrible nightmares and the longer the flame is in her, the harder it will be for her to overcome its influence and agree to its removal. I’m going to have to make sure that Madi is never left alone. I hope you don’t mind that I take Echo to be Madi’s guard in truth while we’re here” Clarke said.

Charmaine naturally didn’t mind and the two of them went to find Madi and Echo so that they could make it clear that there was real and present danger and that both Madi and Echo needed to be alert. 

But they were stupid. Neither Clarke nor Charmaine thought anything about the fact that they were talking about the threat to Madi where Raven could hear every word they said. Raven who heard about the potential of Madi taking the flame and being a threat to her mother’s rule over Clarke’skru. Raven who could imagine the humiliation Clarke would feel at being usurped by her own daughter, a child at that; and she plotted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fall out will be felt by a lot of people and Clarke is going to have to get tough.
> 
> Please, everyone, try to stay safe.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaia makes her move.

Echo was very suspicious. “Why are you being polite about Clarke?” she asked Raven.

“I’m doing my best to practice being a hypocrite while it doesn’t matter so that when she and her lackeys are around it’s second nature – almost natural. How do you like babysitting Clarke’s mini-me?”

It took a little while for Echo to understand exactly what Raven was asking but she eventually got the point. “I’m actually enjoying it. Madi’s a really good swordsman so is giving me a good work out and is trying to teach me to throw a spear as well as she can. I know you must have heard the story of what happened when we first landed. Madi has to be the best young all round fighter that I have ever come across. Clarke thinks that her parents must have trained her before they died - just in case she was ever discovered, she supposed.”

Echo’s words were good news for Raven since it meant that Clarke would probably lose if it came to a fight between her and Madi. It didn’t occur to Raven that Clarke would never allow for a fight in truth to happen between her and Madi since there was no way she could kill her beloved daughter and no way she would allow her daughter to go through the pain of killing her own mother.

Charmaine took her children and Shay and Joe back to Beccaston leaving Clarke with Madi and Echo. They all knew that if something was to happen it would take place within the next two weeks.

“Make sure that you are either with me, Indra or Echo, Madi. No exceptions, understand?”

“Yes, Clarke” Madi was long suffering. “If I am with one then they must accompany me to the other. I’m sure we all know and accept the instruction.”

“I know that Indra and myself will ensure that Madi is kept safe” Echo agreed.

Clarke accepted the reassurance but it didn’t bring her any real comfort because she knew that as long as Gaia was so adamant about the flame she would find a way to get to Madi.

Madi was with Echo and Raven in Raven’s workroom. There were lots of tools and pieces of tech that Raven referred to as her ‘works in progress’. Clarke had made sure that Madi understood the basics of tech and it looked like much of those pieces of work had made very little, if any, progress recently. Raven had made it clear that Madi was not to touch anything on her work table, or any or her tools. Madi had tried to talk to Raven, ask questions about the things she was working on but Raven made it clear that she did not want to talk to Madi and had answered Madi’s questions either very abruptly or had lied. Madi could tell that Echo was losing patience with Raven and would speak to her about it once Madi was with another minder and she was sad that she was being used as a wedge between the two friends.

Raven scooted her wheeled stool across her work room and somehow managed to fall off.

“Ahhh shit! Ow, ow, ow, ow! Dammit!” Raven cried as she clutched at her hip. “Get Abby!”

“Madi, you stay here with Raven” Echo instructed. “I’ll go and get Clarke and Abby.”

“No Clarke, just get Abby, quickly” Raven cried. “Shit! Shit! Shit!”

“Raven, please, tell me exactly what part of you hurts” Madi asked as Raven was rolling on the floor.

Raven seemed to magically ease the pain as she stopped screaming and rolled over to sit calmly and said “It’s only my heart that hurts, having to deal with people like your mother Clarke, but with some help from you and my friends I won’t have to deal with her for much longer. Hey, Gaia, you all ready take over?”

Madi looked around in horror to see Gaia and four of her followers trying to encircle her to take her, she was sure, for a forced Ascension ceremony.

“This is Treason and all of you will be punished for this” Madi declared as she quickly took two tools from Raven’s work bench: not proper weapons but she was ready to defend herself.

“Once you have taken the Flame you will accept your destiny” Gaia was adamant.

“If you force that thing in me then I will have to show no mercy to those who defied their Heda” Madi declared as she swung around, stabbing one of Gaia’s followers in the eye and narrowly missing another as she kicked one in the stomach to wind them and push them away from her.

“Be strong!” Gaia declared as she took the flame from its container. “Your courage will be rewarded!”

With two healthy followers, one seriously injured and another merely winded, Madi was holding her own until Raven decided that she would enter the fray and she pushed her wheeled stool to knock Madi off her balance. It allowed Gaia’s followers the opportunity to pin Madi down.

“Hold her still” Gaia ordered as Madi was overwhelmed by the five strong adults, including Raven, pinning her down on her stomach while Gaia pulled Madi’s hair away from the back of her neck and tried to hold her head still. “Ascende superius” Gaia called for the Flame to waken.

Madi began to think that all may be lost when she heard a door slam and felt the weight dislodged from her left arm and shoulder.

“Ahhh!” screamed the man holding her right arm and shoulder down as he let go to claw at his own shoulder, screaming all the while.

“Noooo!” screamed Gaia as Madi took her chance, got free and used her elbow to knock Gaia unconscious.

“Madi, are you alright?” Clarke asked, frantic as she checked over her daughter. “I see you’ve managed a bit of damage” Clarke saw the woman who had lost her eye. “I see I shall to have words with you and Echo about the meaning of not leaving you unguarded. Indra, can you ensure that Gaia and Marlan are taken to the Med Centre, there’s no hope for these two, and please arrange to place Raven and this man, I’m sorry I don’t know his name, to be placed under guard” Clarke checked for the pulse of the woman she threw her knife at and the man who had been given the flame by mistake. Both were dead.

Clarke carefully removed the flame and found a tin of small screws on Raven’s table that she unceremoniously emptied to safely store the flame. Clarke deliberately neither looked nor spoke to Raven as she picked up a screwdriver that blood on the end and she gave Madi a wry smile and asked “is this how Marlan lost her eye?”

Madi gave a modest shrug. “It was six on one so I had to improvise.”

“I’m proud of you, Sweetheart” Clarke said as Echo ran into the room and immediately took in the scene.

“Wanheda Clarke, Madi, I must sincerely apologise for what I allowed to transpire by my gross dereliction of duty. I will of-course submit to any punishment you deem appropriate. How may I help in the meantime?”

“Please call Charmaine and ask her to come here with Shaw and Monty with the ship. We will need four shock collars and a minimum of ten witnesses to the trial. All the children under the age of 14 must remain there, though. They should arrive early tomorrow morning and will be able to return late that day. If no one other than Shaw can pilot then another engineer will have to stay for a few days – Raven does not count, with Monty” Clarke instructed and Echo knew that Raven would be banished to Polis and that an Engineer is required to make sure that there is no tech there that Raven would be able to use to mitigate her punishment.

Echo went to carry out her Heda’s orders, all the while thinking that she no longer had a friend in Raven – Raven who used her to help Gaia harm Madi, knowing that she would have to be punished for leaving Madi unprotected. Echo only hoped that her Heda would be merciful and allow her to remain with Bellamy and be part of the Guard.

Charmaine was completely unsurprised at Echo’s words about Gaia, but she was astonished to hear that Raven actively assisted Gaia in her plot. Charmaine said that everyone would carry their own rations for the day so that they did not place an added burden on Wonkru. Echo doubted that Indra would care about that, but it was a considerate thought.

Echo went to speak with Indra and seeing her look so sad Echo quietly tried to reassure her by reminder her that Clarke did not believe in the death penalty.

“I know, but I sometimes wonder if death is the more merciful punishment” Indra intoned.

“Undoubtedly it is in most instances, but death does not allow for growth and true repentance which would allow for forgiveness and Clarke is one of the most forgiving people I have ever known. Clarke will not actually give up on Raven or Gaia until they are dead or they cause the death of one of her children. Until then, Clarke will hope for repentance and re-integration” Echo said.

Indra could only agree as she thought of the chances that Octavia and Raven had been given: and then she thought of Echo, and how she was still alive. “As she did with you?”

“In the lead to praimfaya, they all wanted my death, Clarke persuaded them to save me despite all that I had done to try to kill her and hers. And even when she discovered that I had taken her place in Bellamy’s life and heart on our return she gave me a home and saved me from Octavia’s wrath.”

Echo was going to continue speaking when Clarke walked up to them and said: “Echo, who did Raven hate while you were on the Ring?”

Echo thought it was a strange question but she gave it the consideration that requests for information from her Heda deserved. “I don’t think she hated anyone, or at least she didn’t speak as if she did.”

“But?” Clarke could hear the lack of certainty in Echo’s voice.

“But she did talk about Becca and ALIE using the same tone she now speaks about you” Echo said not sure if it was what Clarke wanted to hear.

“How about Murphy?” Clarke pushed.

“No, she would sometimes call him a ‘stupid ass’ in that semi fond tone often uses; and when he was being particularly awful to Emori and then isolated himself from us she seemed more frustrated or angry with him but never hateful. Why?”

“Because Raven would have a real excuse to hate Murphy since he is the one that shot her so that she lost part use of her leg and is in constant pain; but she doesn’t. That’s interesting, don’t you think?” Clarke said as if she had just realised something important; and far as Echo was concerned, maybe she had. “What was everyone’s response when Raven went on one of her rants about Becca and ALIE?”

“We all pointed out that Becca was long dead so no point in hating her, Bellamy even likened it to 21st century people hating someone called Hitler. He said it was important to learn the lessons from his life but completely pointless to hate him since he was long dead. Monty said that the dynamic duo, meaning you and Raven, had vanquished ALIE so she should feel superior, or a bit smug, but not hate” Echo explained.

“Did that work?” Clarke was sceptical.

“Not really: she seemed to accept it then something would happen and she would go off on one of her rants again” Echo replied.

“Thought so.”

Clarke radioed Beccaston and made her own additional requests to Charmaine and Shaw. She knew that both requests raised eyebrows and Shaw wasn’t sure if he would be able to pull his request off in time, but agreed to seek assistance from Monty and Emori if necessary.

Charmaine asked if Clarke was sure I was worth knowing the answer with the other request given that it wouldn’t change the outcome.

“Yes, I need to check out my mom, too” Clarke replied.

Charmaine remembered what she had been told about the ALIE chip, the EMPs and the seizures and accepted Clarke’s reasoning.

Indra posted her most trusted guards to watch the four prisoners. She particularly wanted to know if anyone else was involved in the plot. She also noted that one of the Flame’s followers was acting as caretaker of her grandson, Nate. It was something she would need to watch because she wanted to make sure that Nate did not follow in the footsteps of either of his parents.

It turned out that Indra was right to post guards since two of Gaia’s followers tried to obtain her release from the Med Centre. They clearly did not worry about the other three who were arrested.

“Perhaps Wanheda will think it safe to relax her guard now” Rayon was heard to say. “If we can get you to the little night bleeder we may have our true Commander.”

“No” Gaia disagreed. “I no longer have the Flame. I do not know if it remains in Roache’s body or if Wanheda took possession of it.”

“Wanheda has it” Marlan said from the other bed.

Indra arrived with two more guards to arrest the two who were plotting Treason. She did not know if their punishment would be the same as those who committed the Treason: that was a matter for Clarke to decide but she knew that there would be much trouble once Wanheda declared the punishment for the Flamekeeper and the followers of the Flame. With a heavy sigh, Indra went to warn Clarke and to prepare for what may come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will deal with the trial and punishment of the traitors, and Echo learns what is to happen to her as a result of her leaving Madi alone with Raven.
> 
> Stay safe everyone, please.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions are made as to what happens to those who participated in the attempt to force Madi to take the Flame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know zilch about the brain, scans available now or scans that would be available at the point of time of the first praimfaya. This clearly shows in my writing and I have used some artistic licence. Those who have the appropriate knowledge to realise how much tosh there is, please feel free to raise a brow as you snort with haughty derision, or leave a comment educating me!

The transport ship arrived shortly after sunrise.

Clarke spoke to her mom, Jackson, Marcus, Indra, Charmaine, Echo, Bellamy, Shaw and Charmaine. Everyone bar Echo and Indra nodded their head in agreement while they merely looked astounded.

“What does it matter?” Indra asked.

“Because if it has a physical cause we may be able to operate to correct the problem, but if we can’t we will know that there will be no possibility of re-habilitation” Abby said. “I know we shouldn’t punish someone for an illness or disability, but if Raven is as we suspect, then she will forever be a danger to Clarke, her children and anyone who gets in the way of her hatred. I hate to say it, but with Raven’s skills, it will be hard to find a way to keep her safe, but neutralised.”

“How soon can you have the machine ready?” Clarke asked Shaw.

“A couple of hours, less if Jackson helps me.”

“Good, you two get on that, the rest of us have breakfast, then Echo, you’re first to be tested” Clarke ordered.

“What? No!” Bellamy tried to plead. “Test on me not Echo, please.”

“No. My sons need their father so you are not to be put at unnecessary risk. Echo disobeyed a direct order and put my daughter at risk. To me there is no issue as to who is tested first” Clarke was adamantly cold.

“Wanheda Clarke is correct” Echo said as she laid a calming hand on Bellamy’s arm. “I must atone for my mistake and this is hopefully just a start and not an end. Please, Bellamy, do not try to prevent this for you cannot.”

“You can go second” Clarke was smarmy, but it was clear she meant it.

Shaw and Jackson actually tested the scanner on a rabbit first, much to Clarke’s annoyance (mainly because she knew she should have thought of it and ordered it herself). The rabbit survived having its brain scanned and so did Echo; and all the others who were scanned (for comparison). And then Raven was given a relaxant and her head was scanned.

The public trial for Gaia and the followers of the flame for Treason was set to begin immediately after lunch. Raven would be tried last, if at all, once Abby and Jackson had a chance to study all the scans and any implications.

Shaw didn’t give two hoots of a damn about the trial of the followers of the flame. As far as he was concerned it was nothing but a piece of tech and anyone who was daft enough to worship tech deserved all they got. It was a very interesting piece of tech, but still, he could down load and manipulate the data it contained anyway he wanted. He considered it, he really did. But then he remembered the story of ALIE and thought about what would happen to him if he went beyond his orders and as a result all hell broke loose and he decided against it. And when he saw and understood some of the shit stored on the chip he was so glad he resisted the temptation and emphatically agreed with Clarke that it had to be destroyed.

Shaw converted the code down to its simplest and most basic format: zeros and ones, making sure he could tell when there was a change of host and set it to print on one of the very first computer printers they found in the basement of the Smithsonian: it would take hours. In the meantime he took the chip, or the flame as Wonkru called it to give to Clarke and secured the computer lab.

“I have tried to be a considerate and benevolent Heda” Clarke said to the people. “I wanted you all to have meaning in your lives and to be free of the shadow of death hovering over your shoulders as you went on with your business. Is there anything that I could have done or ordered done that would make your lives better? Please, this is a serious question: it is my duty, and my honour, to do what I can to make life better for my people so, please, what can I do to make your life better?”

There was some general, quiet mutterings before one brave soul shouted out “You can tell the friekdriena to stop disabling our power!”

“I can do that” Clarke agreed and noticed the looks of dismay she was receiving. “Of-course I would have to say that they could cut off your tongue instead the next time they were insulted for something that is beyond their control. I would rather not do that and assume you would rather not as well. It would be easier if people stopped with the insults. Perhaps the perpetrator could be given a choice, loss of power for a while or tongue cut off; yes, I shall so order. Anything else?”

This time the people were either hiding smirks or were muttering quietly with their heads down, chagrined.

“I know many of you miss the time of the Commanders, believing in the power of the Flame and the sacredness of the nightblood. I believe that the colour of one’s blood makes no difference to the ability to be a good Commander. Blodreina Octavia won the conclave and made the brave, compassionate, decision to allow people of all the former clans to be saved from praimfaya. I hope everyone continues to be grateful to Octavia for that sacrifice. The fact that she had red blood is not the reason more of you are not alive: it is because of everyone arguing and fighting so that stores could not be made to see you through when the times were tough. Octavia bore the pain of the decision to force you eat the forbidden meat so that you did not have to suffer for deciding for yourself.

“Octavia was a brilliant warrior but she had not been taught to be a leader. Being an untrained leader is what broke her. Being forced to lead just because she won the conclave without the proper support led to her making some wrong choices later and ultimately to her death. We lost a brave and loyal warrior when Octavia died and was overtaken by Blodreina. I will not allow that to happen to someone else if I can help it. That is why only those who have received considerable and appropriate training in leadership will hold leadership roles. My daughter, Madi, is currently undergoing preliminary training to possibly succeed me in the future. As time goes by she or I may discover that leadership is not the proper role for Madi, but I have to say that so far it looks very promising for our future. However, Gaia did not want to wait.

“I had told Gaia that once Madi reached 18 years, she could discuss with us the possibility of Madi taking the Flame but that the decision would be Madi’s. If Madi had decided that she wanted to receive the Flame then I would have increased her training and included an element to help her control the Flame rather than she being controlled by it. I hope none of you believe that all the past Commanders were good people for they were not and an untrained mind could have been taken over by the darkness that lurks within the Flame and that has to be avoided at all costs for the sake of all our people. I do not believe that desire to be unreasonable. But Gaia and her followers would not wait.

“The last time that Gaia went against my edict I informed her that to raise the issue of the Flame again before Madi reached 18 years would be Treason. The accused here today conspired with others to get Madi alone and tried to forcibly hold Madi down and insert the Flame against my and, more importantly, Madi’s will. Is anything I have said here incorrect, Flamekeeper?”

Gaia stood proud and declared “You speak the truth: you stopped me from giving Wonkru a Heda who holds the Flame and the spirit of the previous Commanders. It was wrong of you to wait until you deemed Madi ready. Lexa herself was only 12 when she received the Flame and was not overtaken by the darkness of some of the previous Commanders.”

“Lexa had been trained since she was a young child and she died when she was 20 because the Flamekeeper thought he knew better than she. I want Madi to live a lot longer than that.

“I offered you the chance to leave the Flame in my possession so that you were not tempted to go against my edict and commit Treason. You refused. You have by your own admission committed Treason and accidently put the Flame into Roach causing his death; and the punishment for you and your followers will be banishment to the Polis bunker. You will remain locked up until such a time as the bunker has been made ready for your imprisonment. Until such a time as you are deemed safe to return to the rest of our people, your mother, Indra, will have the custody and care of her grandson, Nate because the bunker is not a proper place to raise a child.

“I know that to the former clans, a tortuous death was the punishment for Treason, but I am still opposed to the death penalty, especially when there is hope for redemption. Life will not be easy for you in the bunker, but it will give you time to reflect on your choices and hopefully learn that bad choices come with bad consequences and live long enough to truly regret the bad choice you made to go against the order of your Heda. Take them to lock up!”

Gaia stood tall and defiant: her followers not so much. They all remembered their time in the bunker and none of them had pleasant memories of the place.

When all the prisoners had been taken away Clarke addressed the people once more. 

“The time of the Flame is over. The colour of one’s blood will not be a factor in determining who will be our leader; and the ability to win a fight will be only one of many skills that our leader will require. If any of you have a problem with that, talk to Indra or Charmaine and we can have a meeting to discuss it. I am happy to consider what skills you want your leaders to possess, and if necessary agree a training regime to help our future leaders, or for Indra, Charmaine and myself to learn, but I will not be attacked, or allow others to be attacked. I accept open and frank discussions but once I make my decision you go against it at your peril. Now, everyone, back to your duties. Indra, Shaw, with me.”

The crowd dispersed. A few were concerned for what the future would hold, but most were content with how things were going and the words and actions of their Heda. So far they had been given no reason to doubt her words and they could find no fault with anything that she had said (except a few were concerned at the lack of a death penalty, but perhaps time would teach their new Heda of the wisdom of keeping the death penalty).

Clarke, Shaw and Indra walked to see Gaia.

“Did you know that just before his death Titus gave me the Flame and made me a Flamekeeper?” Clarke asked Gaia.

“And then you gave it to that Azgeda scum” Gaia retorted.

“Roan used it as a tool to try to keep the peace so that we would have time to try to find a way to get through priamfaya. You taking it from him was one of the small steps that led us to the mess we ended up in. In any case, even if you had succeeded in placing the Flame in Madi, I have the knowledge and skills to be able to remove it from her and no one would have been able to stop me, not even Madi herself.” 

Clarke took the Flame and placed it on the floor for Gaia to see. Clarke then called for it to activate so that Gaia could see that it was the real thing. Then Clarke stomped on it – hard.

“Noooooo!” Gaia cried as she saw the crushed and broken pieces of the home to the spirits of the Commanders.

“You should have waited” Clarke said with finality as she turned away.

(Luckily Shaw had the sense to remove the largest pieces of the chip to be properly disposed of and left the smallest pieces where they lay so that not even the most skilful of tech experts would be able to put it back together again.)

“This is a normal brain from before” Jackson said as showed two pictures on the screen to Clarke, Charmaine, Indra and Abby. “The top is the rear view and the bottom is the top view. “This is Echo’s” and another two pictures were placed beside the first two: they were very similar. “This is Bellamy’s” and a different two replaced those of Echo. “As you can see they are similar with some minor variations as to size and density of the colour variations. I’ll quickly put up others so you can see how a normal brain looks” and there was a slide show of various brains with Jackson saying the name of the person to whom they belonged until he said “Abby’s”.

The tone was enough to alert Clarke to study the screen. She saw it immediately: it was like a fault on the screen, or a small worm. Then Jackson said “Raven’s”.

“How is that possible?” Clarke asked.

“Shouldn’t she be dead?” Charmaine asked.

“What the hell is that?” Indra asked.

“We don’t know” Jackson said. “But this is another scan carried out an hour later while we were talking about Clarke. It is clear that Raven’s problem is at least in part physiological and there will be no counselling or talking her round. The slightly blurry edges around the mass are, I think, because it was growing while we were scanning. Overlapping the two scans you will see that the hard edge of the first scan fits perfectly over where the fuzzy edge begins. If I am correct then keeping Raven around Clarke will only hasten her demise. No matter what the mass is, or its exact cause, given the location we cannot go in to operate not even to merely take a small biopsy.”

“What about Mom’s?” Clarke asked.

Jackson pulled Abby’s scans onto the screen, highlighted and enlarged the fault that Clarke had spotted.

“As you can see it is relatively small. I propose close monitoring of Abby to the point every detail of her life is noted while keeping her as calm as possible and she has another scan in three months for comparison purposes” Jackson said.

Clarke looked to her mom and saw that she had discussed this with Jackson before their meeting and that she agreed. “You’re not going to like having all the details of your life recorded, mom” Clarke said. “How are you going to remain calm while that’s going on?”

“If it can be arranged, I think the best way is for me to wear an unobtrusive body cam that I can turn to static as certain times. When it is switched back on I can give a broad outline of what was happening during those minutes. The data should be stored and reviewed weekly so that if anything relevant had occurred necessary steps could be taken. If there is no change after the three months then we can loosen the monitoring and I continue with regular scans. We can discuss what to do if there are further changes” Abby said.

Clarke was very impressed with how collected her mother was being and immediately agreed with the suggestions. “I will ask Shaw to liaise with you about the body cam. Now, what do we do about Raven? I don’t want to punish someone for being ill, but on the other hand she is clearly a danger to me and mine and we don’t know how long it will be before she looks further afield to hurt me.”

“I believe that she deserves a quick, honourable death” Indra was grave.

“We can’t put her down just because she’s sick like she was some kind of animal!” Abby was outraged.

“You must be calm” Indra ordered. “Because Raven is sick she deserves not to suffer. But we cannot allow her to hurt others even though she is sick.”

Clarke looked to Charmaine for her views.

“You are both right” Charmaine said. “We cannot just kill her, as expedient as that would be, because it would send the wrong message about how we value people, including the sick. However, you have to remember that it is Clarke and her children, your child and grandchildren, who Raven has hurt the most so far and as she gets sicker she is likely to be more indiscriminate with how she acts out. Also, we cannot let the message get out that you can do whatever you want if you are sick. I think Raven needs to be sent to the polis bunker with the others. I’m sure there are lots of things in there that she could play with to keep herself entertained. Raven, unlike the others, is used to being somewhat curtailed and living enclosed and will not find it as much a punishment as the others.”

Clarke nodded her head. “Charmaine is correct, being confined in the Polis bunker will not be as hard for Raven as the others and there will be so much she can tinker with, things she can try to make to either make life better for them or to help them escape. Her punishment will be announced as the same as the others. We will not say anything about her illness, but we just acknowledge it with a comment along the lines of it being sad that such a brilliant mind is lost to us. When it comes to her funeral, which could be any time since we do not know how she has left, I will say something about it being ALIE’s fault because of the chip and how Raven fought against the hold ALIE had on her mind and that is how the initial damage was done, which is in all probability true, and she can then be mourned as the hero she is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one or two more chapters left now for this trilogy. If there are any loose ends you want to make sure I tie up, let me know.
> 
> Stay safe, please.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prisoners are sent to Polis and everyone else gets on with life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting: I went on holiday and bought a house! It needs lots of work before we can move into it but still, something to look forward to.
> 
> This is the penultimate chapter so this saga is coming to a close. Let me know if there are any loose ends you want me to tie up before I start writing the final words.

Clarke was enjoying a (relatively) quiet few minutes with Madi. They were talking about the situation with Raven both happy knowing that they could say what they wanted without fear of any judgement or reprisals. Madi was concerned that with Raven’s abilities they could escape from the bunker and make their way to Phia.

“That’s a good point, Madi” Clarke said, proud that her eldest was thinking about the ramifications of the decision. “It’s about four days walk so we are telling them that there will be a radio check in every other day and everyone has to report. They don’t know that they will be asked random questions that they will have to answer so that Raven can’t rig up some recordings. Also, they won’t know but every day the Eligius Eye will carry out a sweep of the surrounding areas and would be able to pick up on anyone walking in the desert. If they are walking away from Phia they will be just watched. If walking towards Phia they will be picked up and returned to Polis with some sort of punishment, maybe their Achilles tendon will be cut. When they get to Polis they will be warned that attempting to escape will be regarded as a sign that they are not accepting their punishment and growing into being rehabilitated members of our kru.”

Madi realised that Clarke deliberately didn’t refer to their people as ‘Clarke’skru’ and would do so when speaking to those banished so as to try to minimise the effect on poor Raven. “Do you really think that it was taking the chip and the way it was disabled that caused Raven’s illness?”

“I don’t know, but I certainly think it probable that it contributed. Abby is the only other one tested with a similar, albeit smaller, fault in their brain and she and Raven are the only ones who had their chips deactivated by an EMP rather than the programmed kill switch. There was a lot of damage to their brains that we were able to see prior to praimfaya and it is possible that the time in the GoSci Ring made the damage to Raven worse while normal gravity enabled Abby’s brain to carry out some healing. Unfortunately though, it is likely that we will never really know for sure.”

Madi pondered Clarke’s words and realised that she didn’t say she thought that ALIE and the EMP were to blame at all for the horrendous way Raven had treated Clarke, rather that she was giving Raven the benefit of the doubt and her admiration for her adoptive mother went up another notch.

Five days after sentence was pronounced the prisoners were escorted to the Polis bunker. The farm had been given a new lease of life and with care would support the few for a good while: but some rations were taken for them and they would receive some more every full moon provided all was going well.

It was Indra and Madi who saw them off. Clarke didn’t think that her presence would be of any benefit to any of the prisoners.

Echo was accompanying them as one of the Guard. Echo had been warned that it would be one of her duties to deliver the extra rations each month and that if the prisoners attempted to escape she would be responsible for stopping them, and if she was taken hostage then she would have to remain with the prisoners at least until the next delivery was due and that no special efforts would be made to rescue her. Echo knew that this was part of her punishment for leaving Madi alone with Raven and accepted it, and the possible consequences.

Life for the people of Phia and Beccaston moved along relatively smoothly. 

The loss of Raven meant more responsibility for Shaw and Emori, but without Raven to intimidate the apprentices, more effective support was soon available leaving Shaw and Emori, with assistance from Monty to carrying out the more technical and complicated work. 

The two remaining followers of the Flame quickly adopted a more conciliatory stance since they realised they were alone, and that there was no longer a Flame for them to follow. Clarke wasn’t sure if their new found acceptance was real or if resentment was bubbling along under the surface but was confident that Indra would keep a good eye on them.

Clarke, Madi, Griff, Blake, Charmaine, Faith, Hope, and Echo would go to Phia every four weeks. Echo, accompanied by another from Phia, would go on to take rations and to check on the prisoners in Polis. Clarke, Madi and Charmaine would hold meetings with Indra and mix with the people of Phia until Echo and her escort returned. It allowed for everyone to see that the three leaders, and future leader in Madi, were working closely together and wanted everyone to prosper.

Women were starting to have babies. It was something that Clarke was thrilled to witness. Nylah was given the responsibility of making sure that the correct bloodlines were noted so that they could ensure that there was as much diversification of genes as possible. 

Raven agreed to her eggs being donated to Emori provided Shaw was the father. Shaw wasn’t too happy at first, but he agreed once he realised that he could father children naturally with another woman when he was ready. He did warn Emori that he would want no part in the raising of the resulting child or children. Emori and Murphy were both pleased that they didn’t need to worry about consulting another adult with the way the child or children were raised. (The unused eggs were stored until such a time as Clarke could find a surrogate to carry another child with a father who would want to be the parent. Clarke knew that it was unethical to do this against Raven’s wishes but she thought that Raven’s superior genes needed to have more than one outlet so she bore the guilt of making this awful decision and only hoped that any resulting child or children would not have to pay for her choice.)

Echo eventually agreed to have one pregnancy if Bellamy really wanted to raise a child. Bellamy was ambivalent so he spoke with Blake and Griff. They both thought that their dad should have a child so that he could experience raising a baby – they did not know how involved Bellamy had been in Octavia’s upbringing.

“We can help like we do with Maya and Mason” Griff said earnestly.

“Yeah, but it will be easier if you only have the one” Blake added.

Bellamy smiled at the boys and pointed out that it wasn’t something he could control but he would do his best.

When the possibility of multiple births was mentioned to Echo she said that there was no way she wanted to have more than one and insisted that Clarke should abort if that proved to be the case. Clarke was devastated at the request but knew there would be nothing to gain from refusing and hoped that it wouldn’t be necessary.

Despite her earlier declaration that she wouldn’t want to know what happened to any donated eggs, Echo agreed to donate to Harper and Emori to be fertilised with Monty and Murphy’s sperm. Harper agreed to use Kane’s sperm to father another child that she and Monty would raise; and Emori agreed to use any other male who was willing to donate who would not otherwise be contributing to the genetic mix. As long as she was able to have children, she was happy to carry them.

The talk about more children made Clarke consider who should father her next child. It was likely to affect Thorne so she told spoke to him about her concerns.

“Don’t worry about me” he told Clarke. “I understand why you’re doing this and I think it great that you’re leading by example. I’m not sure how I would feel about another man being in the mix, though. Bellamy is bad enough, but he’s only around really when you’re not so he’s not really much of an issue, but another might be around more and I don’t know how I would react.”

Clarke was glad that Thorne was being honest with her: it saved so many problems down the line. “I was thinking that the donor should be someone from Phia and wouldn’t have any involvement in the raising of the child. Would you be able to be a father figure to the child, no matter who was the donor?”

“If the donor wasn’t constantly around to remind me, then, yeah, I think I could do it. How would you feel about me being a donor for someone else? She did say that she doesn’t want any donors to be interfering with how she raises her children. It’s Kochi and she’s sounding out a few men” Thorne explained.

Clarke had to think about it. She knew she was being selfish but she couldn’t always be around and she needed her baby daddies to be able to step up when she couldn’t so that would be the ideal solution from her perspective but how would Thorne feel about not being involved in his child’s upbringing?

“I think I could be happy not having primary custody, but I would want the child to know that I am their father and would want to spend some time with them, for us to know each other” Thorne was clearly thinking about Kochi as a mother for his child.

“Then you talk to Kochi and let her know how you feel” Clarke advised. “She might be grateful for you to take care of the child say one day a week. They could spend that time with their half siblings so that they all grow up knowing who is related to whom. It reduces the risks of problems later when it comes to the time for them to choose their own mate.”

Thorne agreed to talk to Kochi and if she was adamant that she wanted no paternal interference then he would look elsewhere for a mother.

Charmaine had another baby, as agreed, fathered by Kane. Both Abby and Marcus were sad that they didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Cato, meaning ‘wise’, (and wasn’t Charmaine glad that she didn’t have another girl whom she would feel obliged to name ‘Charity’) but they still wished to keep Phia as their primary residence and accepted that it came with a cost. They were still had Malc to be the recipient of their otherwise unmet parental feelings. With three children, Charmaine declared that she was too old to have any more and that Clarke’skru would have to make do with two offspring carrying her genes. Given the dangers of giving birth after the age of 40, Clarke could only concur.

The next big project for Clarke’skru came with the return to Shallow Valley and the search for any worm eggs that may have survived the fire.

Squirrels that were kept and bred for the awful purpose were released in the valley, one at a time. As they ran around, scratching and digging for food they remained whole and healthy. Everyone breathed a big sigh of relief: one day their descendants would be able to return to the valley to live.

As many of the squirrels as possible were re-captured and taken back to Phia and Beccaston. The ones remaining in Shallow Valley would not last since there was as yet no food for them to enjoy. A small number were retained for Phia and Beccaston to maintain their own scurry for the future, but most were destined to contribute to the pot and the pile of fur hats and mittens.

For all the people of Beccaston and Phia, the future looked bright. For the people of Polis, the future was dismal.

After her eggs were harvested, Raven decided that she was going to go on a final walkabout. She wanted to go to Arkadia. She knew it would take at least a week to walk there so she took her time and planned and prepared.

Raven knew how to get out of the bunker and wondered how Wonkru could have not known. She knew that Jaha had died fairly early on in their stay but surely there were others who could search the computer systems the way she had to discover the escape hatch. (Raven did not know that early on in their incarceration Skaikru staged a coup and many were lost in the resulting punishment.) From what Raven could discover, the hatch would bring her out of the bunker part of the way towards where she was heading and if the bunker entrance was being watched then it would reduce the likelihood of her being spotted before she could get a good head start.

Raven made a portable radio that she could use to ‘check in’ and tell the others that she was hiding away from them. They didn’t know that there was another exit so would just think she was off sulking somewhere and continue to wallow in their own misery instead of doing something about it. Every time Echo came with more rations, Raven secreted a little for her walkabout and no-one seemed to even notice. She even managed to find a couple of canteens that she knew would come in useful. The one thing she didn’t have that she so wanted was waterproof clothes. But Raven did manage to make an umbrella that she doubled as a collector of water that could be funnelled into one of the canteens.

Raven decided that she was as ready as she was ever going to be: after Echo’s next visit Raven was going to leave Polis behind. Raven was so excited that she was almost giddy!

Knowing that this was likely to be the last time she ever saw Echo, Raven was paying particular attention to her: “You’re pregnant!” Raven said.

Echo smiled. “Yes, I have been told that I am now past the dangerous time and can tell people. Emori is as well with your and Shaw’s child. Emori wants the child to have your looks and brains but Shaw’s temperament. Murphy said that he was looking forward to a mini Raven that he could bring up to make sure that he gets the best of everything. Bellamy wants a girl this time and I think he might want to call her Octavia but I’m putting my foot down if he does.”

Raven momentarily felt very left out and angry. “I wish I could see how it all develops” she said, mentally blaming Clarke for keeping her away from her friends. “What do you want to name your child? Couldn’t you say it was your tradition for the mother to name girls and the father to name sons so you should be okay?”

Echo laughed and thanked Raven for the suggestion. “I will do just that. If we have a daughter I want to name her Ashrae. Ash after my childhood friend and Rae after you, my lifelong friend. Is that acceptable?”

For a split second Raven felt resentment at coming second, but then realised that Echo thought that Raven would still be in her life. ‘Perhaps once I’m dead she’ll decide to put my name first’ she thought.

The next day Raven gathered all her belongings, leaving the portable radio behind, and left.

The others in the bunker didn’t notice her absence.

The lone figure limping towards Arkadia was picked up by the eye. Clarke was pissed: had Echo deliberately left the bunker opening unsealed? There would be hell to pay if she had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone, don't forget to please STAY SAFE!


	13. The Final Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens to Echo following Raven's escape? Does the punishment fit the crime?
> 
> Clarke finds out what was going on in the bunker and reaches a decision about Octavia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the final chapter in the Two Krus trilogy.
> 
> I should like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who left kudos and comments on this tale. It is not one of my favourite stories, but I'm glad that so many of you enjoyed it.

Clarke radioed Indra with the news about Raven.

“You are sure that she is alone?” Indra asked. “The others are not walking in another direction?” Indra thought that if Gaia had escaped her prison that she would head for Phia.

“Raven is definitely the only one out of the bunker” Clarke assured her. “I spoke to Gaia and asked everyone else to check in: only Raven was not there. Before I approach Echo, I need for you to get a check on the seal. Was it possible, likely, that Echo deliberately or accidently left the exit unsealed? I need to know that before I decide my next step. In the meantime, Raven is heading for TonDC and while there are places she could hide, there’s no food source there at all, unless someone was keeping something from me and there’s another bunker or storage facility with food. We’ll keep an eye on her so if she disappears we’ll know where to look if necessary.”

Marcus and I will go ourselves to look at the bunker, Wanheda” Indra assured Clarke.

Both Marcus and Indra were convinced that there was no way that Raven had left by the regular bunker entrance and re-sealed it on her own. “Sealing the entrance is clearly a two person job, and at least one of them would have to be very strong” Marcus assured Clarke. “There is no way that I would be able to get in without assistance and we can’t find any tool that she would have been able to use to manipulate the stones so precisely. I think she had to have another way out somehow” he was morose.

“There is one other scenario that you haven’t suggested: that Echo and her partner for the last visit let Raven out and sealed the bunker after her exit” Clarke said. “Okay, I want you and Indra to come to Beccaston, Marcus. Call in at Phia on your way and bring Echo’s partner, don’t say why yet, just that I want him in Beccaston for a while.”

Both Marcus and Indra were pondering on which scenario they would prefer to have happened. On the one hand they didn’t want Echo and Julius to be punished, although if they had done something like allow one of the prisoners to escape then they deserved to be punished; on the other hand they don’t want to think that there was another exit from the bunker that they could have used if only they had known about it. They both knew that things would not have gotten so bad if they had known that there was another way out once they learned that the main entrance was blocked. They probably wouldn’t have been surprised if they had talked and learned that they were thinking exactly the same thing.

Clarke, Madi, Charmaine and Cavendish went to see Echo. She was with Bellamy, Murphy and Emori. They were clearly talking about having their children grow up to be best friends, family. The conversation stopped when they saw the delegation.

“Echo, you need to come with us” Clarke declared.

“What are you doing? You can’t just come and tell Echo she needs to go with you!” Bellamy defended his partner.

“Bellamy, it’s okay” Echo tried to soothe him; but they could both tell by the expression on Clarke’s face that it was far from okay.

“No, I’m coming with you” Bellamy declared.

Cavendish stepped in front of Bellamy while Echo merely looked stoic and went to walk away.

“No! I’m not letting you take her” Bellamy shouted as Murphy and Emori tried to calm him down.

“It’s Clarke, mate. You know there has to be a reason she wants to talk to Echo” Murphy said.

“He’s right” Emori agreed. “Let them have their talk and then you can find out what’s happening.

Clarke looked at Murphy, completely ignoring Bellamy, and nodded her thanks.

Echo held herself erect and walked with the silent group towards the lab. ‘At least they’re not taking me to the cells on the ship’ Echo thought.

Echo was told to sit and look at the screen. She could see a lone figure walking in the wilderness. A few words from Clarke had the picture zooming in to get a clearer look at the person. Echo could see that it was Raven.

“How? Where? Why?” Echo asked, apparently not sure exactly what it was that she wanted to ask, or to be answered.

“It looks like she’s heading for TonDC” Clarke replied. “We hope that you can help us with the other two questions.” The intonation was clear.

“I have no idea” Echo was adamant. “When we spoke she gave no clue as to how she would be able to leave Polis, and I know that Julius and I sealed up the entrance to make it impossible for … unless she made a bomb, but I guess you have already checked that out; but I cannot think why she would even want to. She’ll never survive out there. Other than tech, Raven has the survival skills of a new born: we have to go and get her and take her back!”

“No we don’t” Charmaine said. “As long as she is not a danger to any of us we don’t have to do anything.”

“Are you sure that there are no bunkers near there that she could be headed for?” Madi asked.

“I don’t know: I don’t think so” Echo sighed. “I never heard about any and I would have thought that they would talk about it if someone had found one on one of their exploratory ops. But you’ll need to talk to all the scavenger teams to be sure” Echo realised that someone could be in big trouble and she only hoped that it wasn’t Bellamy.

Clarke thought for a while. Until they had spoken to Julius, who Clarke was sure would be less able to hide the truth than Echo, they had no proof of anything. “For the time being I am having you put on medical rest due to the fact that it has just been brought to my attention that it would have been physically hard for you to seal the bunker and you are pregnant and should not have been lifting anything that heavy. You will say nothing about this to anyone, not anyone until I or Charmaine or Madi say otherwise. That is a direct order.” Clarke led Echo down to medical where she instructed her to stay in bed. “If you have visitors and they ask you tell them that I am just being overly cautious. I will send Harper to you to carry out the normal medical checks that I am too angry with you to carry out because you should not have gone to Polis without another partner due to your pregnancy. At some point you are going to have to explain to me why you didn’t tell me the exact nature of the work needed to unseal and reseal the bunker because I damned well know that pregnant women are given light duties, and I cannot imagine that you do not know that too.”

Clarke and Charmaine had all the members of the scavenging teams placed in separate cells on the ship. It was very rare that the cells were used for anything other than storage or the occasional overnight stay by someone who had overindulged with the moonshine so the occupants were individually very worried. The guards had, at Clarke’s instruction, tried to make it clear that the scavengers were only being placed in the cells for convenience and that they were not to worry but it was human nature to worry when being placed in a cell with no explanation.

One by one, in no particular order Clarke and Charmaine had the guards bring the scavengers to be questioned. For the most part they were merely bewildered at the questions and were clearly honest in their responses of not knowing of any bunkers that had food stored. They were thanked for their co-operation and asked not to say anything about the questions to anyone for the time being. It was Bellamy and Murphy who were the most insistent in knowing the reason for the questions.

Once they were assured that no-one was aware of any bunkers that would hold food Clarke and Charmaine showed Spacekru what Raven was doing.

“You think Echo helped her, don’t you?” Bellamy was distraught.

“Not really, but it is possible” Clarke said. “I’ll know for sure soon. In any case I realised that in Echo’s condition she should not have been going there and helping to seal and unseal the bunker and I am cross with myself for not thinking about that before, and very cross with Echo for not mentioning the physical nature of the work so that someone else could have done the hard work. Harper is looking after her as we speak checking that all is well. Everyone has been told not to talk about Raven’s escape for the time being and that goes for you, too. I don’t even want you talking about it among yourselves in case others over hear. Don’t test me on this. You may go.”

Bellamy gave Clarke a look similar to the one he gave when Clarke was pointing a gun at him as he went to open the bunker to allow Octavia in. Clarke didn’t understand what she had done to deserve the look this time.

Julius arrived and he confirmed that there was no way that Raven was outside the bunker when they sealed it. “They all checked in on the radio before we left, including Raven” he said. “But she did call us ‘suckers’ and I don’t know if that means anything.”

Clarke and Charmaine realised that they had somehow played into Raven’s hands and there had to be another way out of the bunker.

“Thelonious Jaha poured over the plans and found no other way out” Marcus insisted.

“He was sure that there were no weaknesses in the design that we could exploit to dig our way out” Indra confirmed.

“And I am no engineer” Marcus added, “but I was one of those charged with studying the blueprints we were able to retrieve after Jaha’s death and following up all possibilities of an escape shaft.”

Clarke thought for a moment: then it came to her. “You mean you studied the hard copy blueprints of the bunker’s design and not the computer records of the actual building specs?”

“Well, wouldn’t they be the same thing?” Marcus was ignorant.

This time it was Charmaine who snorted. “Building design specs were notorious for not being adhered to. Monty will need to search the computer records and check for deletions.”

Clarke agreed and asked Monty to go with Marcus to do just that.

Monty found details of two escape shafts on the computer – something that devastated Marcus and Indra. They could have come to the surface a year earlier and … and they could have all died by mass suicide if they had seen the desolation that was Polis and its surroundings if Clarke was not there to tell them about Eden, Marcus realised. Indra accepted that in the end, it mattered not, they were where they were and there was no going back in time to change anything.

It was agreed that there would be no further mention of the escape hatches to avoid any possible repercussions from members of Wonkru who lost people in that last year.

Knowing that Wonkru did not carry out a complete computer search, Monty downloaded all the bunker records to be studied at his leisure over winter. He couldn’t believe that the people of Skaikru didn’t make sure that all the tech was studied properly. He thought of how Octavia had so immersed herself in the Grounder culture and wondered if that was why it wasn’t done. But then, he couldn’t understand how Kane could have not suggested that the computer records be studied to see if they could show anything useful because the data he found with his first and second pass was surely not all that was hidden there.

“Raven is not going to TonDC” Jonesy said, it was his turn to watch the screens showing what the Eligius eye picked up. “She’s heading just north of there.”

“The drop ship” Clarke said. “Raven might be heading for the drop ship or Arkadia. It matters not. There are bunkers around there but none are stocked; they’re just places she could rest protected from the elements. The only worry is if she heads for Mt Weather, or what’s left of it. I don’t think that there’s anything that can harm us that she can get to in there, but I’m not certain. Keep an eye on her: she must be running low on rations by now.”

They eventually realised that Raven walked no further than Arkadia. Clarke didn’t know what she hoped to achieve since there was nothing still standing of it, what Illian’s fire didn’t destroy praimfaya did. Clarke remembered how she thought that nothing remained but ghost;, but perhaps that was exactly what Raven was searching for when she elected to trek there – primarily the ghost of Finn.

A week after there was no further sighting of Raven, Clarke sent Bellamy, Murphy and Emori to retrieve her. As expected, they found her barely alive. Raven was severely dehydrated and suffering from some infection. By the time they got her back to Beccaston, Raven had died. Clarke was not sorry – Raven was a deeply unhappy woman and showed no qualms in spreading her dissatisfaction. For someone who was so incredibly intelligent, Raven had no discernment when it came to knowing people, or herself.

Spacekru and Shaw were obviously saddened by Raven’s death and tears flowed at her funeral; but they weren’t as devastated as Clarke thought they would be.

The person who seemed to be most upset by Raven’s death was Abby. Abby was concerned that her brain might one day deteriorate to the same level as Raven’s. Regular brain scans showed that that was not the case and that her little brain schism was stable but it didn’t stop Abby from worrying. Clarke was concerned that Abby’s worry would overtake her and cause damage, thus becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. After expressing herself to Jackson and Marcus, Clarke knew that there was nothing more she could do without running the risk of upsetting Abby, and Clarke knew who would be held to blame if Abby was upset.

Clarke spent the winter learning all she could about Wonkru from talking to the people and from what Monty was able to find on the computer, and she didn’t like what she heard. 

The crop failure was not Octavia’s fault, and Clarke did not blame Octavia for forcing people to survive – it was very noble of Octavia to take on the responsibility and the blame. What Clarke did not like was that many of Wonkru only followed Octavia because they were frightened of her and maintained their derision of Skaikru despite the facts that Skaikru people found the bunker and were the only people with the knowledge to maintain it – the remains of Azgeda were the worst. 

Luckily Wanheda was to be respected even if Octavia and other Skaikru were not. There was no gratitude displayed by any of them for the fact that Octavia saved their lives. Previously Clarke had held it against Octavia that she ruled Wonkru by fear, but not any longer. Wonkru, other than her upper echelons had no respect for Octavia and there was no way that she was ever going to gain it. Octavia clearly did try to gain Wonkru’s respect, eschewing many of Skaikru’s ways, keeping only the parts that were immediately necessary – the medicine, the farm and the guns, but she was too young to realise she was on a hiding to nothing and so gave up the parts of her upbringing that might have saved her sanity. Clarke blamed her mom, Marcus and Gaia most for not guiding her better, but almost everyone contributed to the fact that a courageous young warrior was lost in the mind that became Blodreina.

Clarke decided that a monument to Octavia would be built at Phia and Beccaston and that on the anniversary of praimfaya there was be celebrations and thanks would be given for the finding of the bunker by Jaha, and for opening it up to all clans by Octavia. Clarke talked to Madi about it and Madi agreed that many had lost sight of all that they owed Octavia and that the matter did need to be rectified.

Clarke, Madi, Indra and Charmaine work hard to make sure that they presented a united front to their people. Regular visits and worker exchanges or temporary assignments meant that people from each settlement got to know people from the other. 

A couple of matches were even made and decisions had to be made as to where they would set up home. Carter and Jackson did become a couple and Clarke was honoured to officiate over their wedding ceremony. To make it less worrisome for Clarke to travel to and spend time at Phia leaving Beccaston without a doctor, Jackson and Carter made the fairly easy decision to settle in Beccaston. 

It would take time, but Clarke knew that one day the two settlements would truly be of one people.

Clarke made her selection of who she wanted to seed her third pregnancy. Archie was a fierce warrior once upon a time and although no longer young, he could still deliver the goods. Clarke and Thorne were both relieved when he said that he wanted no part in the day to day upbringing, but was happy to be known as the donor if Wanheda wished it so, but equally happy not be so known. It was agreed that Nylah would be informed if there was a successful pregnancy, and family members only, but it would not be common knowledge.

Clarke’s sixth child was another girl, Rowan Alex. It surprised Clarke that no one made mention of the people for whom Rowan was named after, Perhaps it was seen as another step in the unification of the people from the ground with the people from the sky.

Once she recovered from Rowan’s birth Clarke had her tubes tied: she would use no more resources with an implant, but she would have no more pregnancies. With six children, five of whom she had given birth, Clarke thought that she had done her part to repopulate the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Perhaps not the winding up that you wanted, but I wanted to leave something to be worked out exactly as you would want it to be wrapped up.
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> Stay safe, please.


End file.
